


A Matter of Fate

by FairyTaleDreams



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Aurors, Destiny, Divination, Fate, Fluff, Heartache, Hogwarts, M/M, Pining, Professors, Soulmates, True Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2019-10-17 13:39:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17561450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FairyTaleDreams/pseuds/FairyTaleDreams
Summary: I was in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, in my nightclothes, surrounded by aurors who seemed to think I might have lost my mind by the way they were watching me warily. I was standing in front of Scorpius Malfoy, who had the same wary look on his face (though his eyes did wander a bit), and I had no idea what I was doing.Professor Albus Severus Potter taught Divination at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He had a knack for knowing things - like the fact that Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy belonged to him.And it was about time he made that clear.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to try this thing where I write and post simultaneously. Here's hoping it actually works out well and I'm semi-regular :)
> 
> I'm not sure how long this story is going to be. So far it's been fun to write, so if it continues in that vein, we'll see more than just a few chapters. Fingers crossed!
> 
> Please Note: While the characters and the world do not belong to me, the storyline and situations do, so paws off!

Albus Potter’s journey with Divination was one that took the entire Potter-Weasley family by surprise.  
  
It started when he was just six, on a visit to the home of the Scamanders. He’d liked his mum’s slightly flaky friend, and got along fine with Lysander, but something about Lorcan rubbed him the wrong way. He found himself being unnecessarily mean to the other boy, taking the toys he was playing with, and leaving him out of their play, which, of course, led to the day ending in tears.  
  
Ginny had crouched down in front of him as soon as they got home, her brows furrowed and expression one of concern, “That wasn’t like you, Al.”  
  
He just pouted, crossing his arms and looking away, the way he’d seen his teenage cousins do sometimes when they were getting told off.  
  
“Is something the matter?” His mum pressed, managing to keep a straight face while inwardly squealing at how cute her pouty six-year-old was.  
  
“He’s going to play with something of mine. He’s going to take it without asking or apologising!” Al said finally, green eyes glimmering with surprisingly heated anger for one so young.  
  
Ginny stared at her son, a bit bemused, “He’s going to? How could you possibly know that, sweetheart?” When her son remained stubbornly silent, she tried another tack, “If you had asked permission today, maybe Lorcan would ask permission to play with your toys in the future.”  
  
“I’m not talking about a toy! It’s something more important. Something that is supposed to belong to me!” The boy was crying now, and Ginny ignored her own confusion to gather him up in a hug, murmuring comforting words.  
  
An hour later, when Harry apparated into the living room, he found Ginny on the couch with Al curled up on her lap, asleep. A small frown curved his lips as he stepped forward and ran a gentle hand along his son’s unruly black hair, “What happened?”  
  
Ginny looked thoughtful as she spoke, “I think…our son just showed the first signs of magic. Though maybe not in the way we expected.”  
  
Such incidents became more commonplace over the next few years — knowing where his grandmother’s brooch that she had lost over thirty years ago was, pulling his little sister back before she could run headlong and be hit by a stray stunning spell from Knockturn Alley, even making sure his mother changed from a blue dress to a pink one for the Minister’s party because the house elves would be dressed in blue. Al’s knack of knowing was quickly accepted and celebrated within the family.  
  
Albus befriended Louis, one year his senior, because he was convinced his part-Veela cousin needed him. Rose was ever his constant companion and remained so, listening and supporting Al with his gut feelings and intuition-fuelled decisions. Lily was his follower, usually in awe of her quirky elder brother and his ability to just know everything, while James, he kept at a distance. At least for the time being.  
  
It was on the train to Hogwarts that Albus met him. Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy. The boy sat with them in their compartment, but he didn’t say more than a few words, preferring to look out the window with a sullen look on his face. Aside from a cursory look, he’d ignored Al altogether, and that made something ache within the young boy. He could tell, this boy was special to him. He would mean something to Albus.  
  
So Albus tried to be patient. He watched as Scorpius was sorted into Slytherin while he was placed in Hufflepuff, as he had known he would be. He watched Scorpius make friends with Lorcan Scamander, and watched over the next few years as that friendship grew to something more. He managed to juggle his subjects, his extra lessons with Trelawney, his Prefect duties and still found time to keep updated on Scorpius’s life.  
  
When he was beginning to doubt his instincts with regard to Scorpius, he mentioned the pull he felt to the Slytherin to his Divination teacher and she’d smiled knowingly, telling him things tended to happen in their own time.  
  
“Our curse is to know what will happen, but to be unable to determine when.” She said to him kindly, “The boy might be destined for you, but he does not know it, and chances are he will not listen if you were to tell him outright.” Her gaze grew sad and wistful here. She let out a shaky breath and met Albus’s gaze, “Be patient, Albus. If you have seen it, it will happen. Have faith in that knowledge and try to be patient. He will come to you.”  
  
So Al took her advice and tried to put Scorpius Malfoy out of his head. Only Rose knew of his feelings for the other boy, and she kept her silence. He even managed a small fling before his final year at Hogwarts which had allowed him to explore his sexuality without completely losing his virginity. Neither boy trusted the other enough to go the whole way.  
  
Albus was actually surprised to hear at the start of their last year, that Lorcan Scamander and Scorpius Malfoy were no longer together. Several rumours had made their rounds through the castle from the break-up being mutual, to Scorpius walking in on Lorcan cheating on him, to Lorcan throwing a fit when Scorpius admitted he wasn’t in love with him. The fact that both boys managed to remain best friends despite the failure of their romantic relationship only seemed to incite more rumours. Albus found he didn’t really care what led to their romantic separation, only that it had happened.  
  
He managed to enjoy his final year at Hogwarts despite the N.E.W.T.s. Trelawney had told him she planned to retire in a year or two, and that she wanted him to fill her position. That gave him just enough time to finish the Ministry-approved teaching course all teachers were now required to complete before moving back to Hogwarts as Professor Albus Potter.  
  
Scorpius finally approached him a little before Valentine’s Day. Where he’d been adorable at eleven, he was gorgeous at seventeen. He was tall, taller than Albus by a good few inches, and his body had filled out so you could practically see the pure muscle that made up his still-lean frame. His hair was long and golden, braided down his back, and his eyes a delicate silver that could turn a stormy grey when he was displeased.  
  
“Potter?”  
  
Albus blinked, realising he’d completely zoned out once Scorpius had reached his desk at the library, “Sorry, what did you need?”  
  
Scorpius looked from him to Rose, Lily and Lysander who were poorly disguising their interest in this new development. “Could I speak to you outside? In private?”  
  
Before Al could respond, he’d turned and walked away, presumably to wait for the Hufflepuff boy outside. Al turned wide green eyes at Rose, who gave him a bright smile, “Go! See what he wants!”  
  
He nodded numbly, before getting up and following the blond boy. He should be thrilled; over the moon. Scorpius had come to him, just as Professor Trelawney had said he would. And yet, Al knew the Slytherin hadn’t approached him for the reason he wanted him to. So when Scorpius said, “Lorcan mentioned that you’re some kind of genius with Divination.” Al wasn’t that disappointed. Really.  
  
He cleared his throat, “I’m not sure about genius, but I do have a knack for it.”  
  
Grey eyes peered at him with interest and curiosity, “I heard a rumour that you’re coming back to teach at Hogwarts. That you already got a job offer.”  
  
Black brows raised in surprise at that. He didn’t think Scorpius even really knew who he was. “Oh, that’s—um, yes. Professor Trelawney wants me to replace her when she retires.”  
  
Now it was Scorpius’s turn to look surprised, “Wow, I didn’t think it was actually true. That’s amazing, congratulations!”  
  
Al gave the Slytherin a bemused smile, “Thank you. Not to seem rude or anything, but did you need something?”  
  
Scorpius looked sheepish, but tried for a charming grin, “Why would you think I needed anything?”  
  
“Well, you’ve never really talked to me before. I assume since you are doing so now, and that you brought up my ability, you want to ask me for a reading.” This wasn’t the first time a student had approached him for guidance, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. It hurt that this was what had brought Scorpius to him, but he could never resent his gift.  
  
Scorpius blinked, and leaned closer, his grey eyes raking over Al’s expression in a way that seemed almost too intimate. “Are you sure you weren’t supposed to be Sorted into Ravenclaw? That’s some excellent use of logic.”  
  
Albus felt the blood rush to his face, and fought to keep a straight face. He knew what Scorpius was doing. After all, the Malfoy wasn’t a Slytherin for nothing. He knew how to manipulate any situation to get what he wanted.  
  
Al wasn’t going to be manipulated though.  
  
“If you need a reading, I’ll do it for you. You just need to ask. Flirting and playing with others’ feelings isn’t a very nice way of getting what you want.” He said stiffly, turning to leave.  
  
“Whoa! Okay, wait.” Scorpius said, quickly moving to block Al’s way, hands held up in surrender, “I’m sorry. I don’t like asking for favours, and this one seems particularly ridiculous.”  
  
Al didn’t say anything, just simply raised a brow.  
  
Scorpius looked him over once more, chuckling to himself, “Well, you aren’t what I expected.” He murmured, almost to himself. Then louder, he said, “I have absolutely no idea what I want to do after Hogwarts. We barely have a few months left before exams, and everyone seems to have an idea of where they’re going and what they’re doing. If I don’t figure it out soon, I’m going to have to go into business with my father’s family, and I’d like to avoid that at all costs.”  
  
“I’m not sure what _Lorcan_ told you, but my gift is not sight. I can’t look into your future and tell you what you’re going to be doing. It doesn’t work like that.” Al said, barely keeping himself from making a face when he said the Scamander’s name.  
  
Scorpius grinned, “He wasn’t kidding when he said you didn’t like him.” He shook his head, “Well, if you can’t look into the future, then what can you do?”  
  
“I have excellent intuition and I see things about people they tend to miss. I have a knack for judging compatibility between people and seeing strengths and weaknesses in relationships. Sometimes, when I touch someone, I can feel what they’re feeling, but it depends on how in tune I am with the person. Sometimes I can find misplaced things.” Albus explained, noticing as he did that they were standing at the entrance to the library. “Maybe we should move, we’re in the way.”  
  
Scorpius seemed to have not heard his last words, deep in thought. Albus sighed, rolling his eyes as he reached out and grabbed the Slytherin by his elbow to pull him into a small alcove. Scorpius didn’t react to the move other than to lean back on the alcove wall, his grey eyes studying Al thoughtfully.  
  
“Okay.” He said finally.

Al looked up from where he was studying the Slytherin’s long fingers, hoping his not-so-innocent thoughts weren’t reflected on his face. “Hm?”  
  
“Okay, I would like a reading from you. Anything you can tell me about myself can only help my final decision. I might have other questions for you as well. I see no downside to this.” Scorpius explained, crossing his arms at his chest.  
  
Albus considered the boy before him, that familiar ache resonating within him as he did. He wanted Scorpius. Physically, yes definitely, but also on a level so profound he couldn’t quite put it into words. He could sense the strengths and weaknesses in relationships, that ability had only grown over time, and he could tell that if Scorpius and him were to get romantically involved, there would be very little that could come between them. Their personalities complemented each other without being contrasting, and he knew they would be happy together.  
  
He wanted to share his life with the Slytherin, crib to him about homework, tell him about his family and friends, confide in him about the disadvantages of his gift, draw out Scorpius’s rare smiles and even rarer laughs, be at the centre of the blond’s undivided attention, make his eyes darken with desire or soften with affection. He wanted all of it, but he couldn’t make a move. He couldn’t make a move because Sybill Trelawney was right. Scorpius had to come to him. That would be the only way a relationship between them could work. If Al were to make the first move, Scorpius could always wonder if the Hufflepuff boy’s gifts had played a part in bringing them together.  
  
“Potter?”  
  
And he’d zoned out again. Al scolded himself internally as he shook his head and refocused on the Slytherin in front of him. “Yes, sorry, I was just thinking. I have an essay to finish for Charms, but I can meet you after dinner?”  
  
Scorpius searched his face for a moment, before shrugging, “After dinner is fine. Shall we do this at the War Wing? We should have some privacy then.” The War Wing was what students called the part of the castle that had been destroyed because of the Second War. Most occupants, including the ghosts, tended to avoid that part of the school, making it the perfect place for getting away from people without getting caught.  
  
Al grimaced. He disliked the War Wing because he could almost feel the evil lingering in the walls there, but he understood Scorpius’s desire for privacy. “I’ll meet you outside the Great Hall, and we can walk down together.”  
  
Scorpius nodded, “See you later, Potter.”  
  
The reading itself went very well. The two of them had picked a spot where the outer wall of the castle had been destroyed so they could feel the slightly chilly night breeze. Scorpius had been dressed in his school robes, while Al had changed into Muggle clothing, wearing a pair of comfortable sweats and a hoodie. He didn’t miss the way Scorpius’s eyes raked over his body as he cleared a space for them to sit.  
  
Albus had a process when it came to readings. He generally did palm readings, with some aura readings if requested. A person’s hands conveyed a lot of things about themselves and their lifestyle. With Scorpius, he could tell the boy had a knack for playing some kind of instrument, the callouses spoke of endless hours on a broom, but there were small scars on the tips of fingers that suggested paper cuts from equally long hours of study. He had Scorpius take out his wand and do some basic spells and he noted that the wand was almost an extension of the other boy. He was comfortable with spell work in a way Albus had never quite managed.  
  
When he asked the Slytherin what careers he admired, he carefully watched the changing expressions as the blond spoke of professional Quidditch players, curse-breakers, beast-tamers and aurors. When Scorpius spoke of aurors he seemed almost wistful. Albus reached out and grasped the Malfoy’s hand and was almost overwhelmed by the sense of longing the other boy felt. He wished, for just a moment, that the longing had been directed at him.  
  
“That’s the one.” He said firmly, cutting Scorpius off. “You should become an Auror.”  
  
Scorpius let out a laugh, but it was a bitter sound, “An Auror? Are you out of your mind, Potter? There is no way the Department of Magical Law Enforcement would even consider me as a possible auror.”  
  
“Why? Because you’re a Malfoy?” Albus questioned, letting go of the Slytherin’s hand, “You didn’t strike me as the kind of person who was hung up on the past.”  
  
“Maybe not, but I’m realistic. You really think your dad would look at my application twice once he saw my last name?”  
  
“My dad is not so shallow that he lets school-boy rivalries fuck with people’s lives and careers.” Albus said sharply, green eyes flashing with a flare of temper, “And you should have some faith in your own abilities. You are at the top of our year for DADA and Charms, my dad would be lucky to have you on his team.”  
  
Scorpius stared at him intently, “How do you know I’m at the top of our year for Defense and Charms?”  
  
Albus felt his cheeks flush and looked away, cursing himself, “Rose complains.” He said finally, not expecting Scorpius to believe him in the least, “Are we done?”  
  
“No. I had another question for you.” Scorpius looked uncomfortable now, “It’s about Lorcan.”  
  
Albus felt his heart sink, and steeled his expression, “What about him?”  
  
“You said you could sense the strengths and weaknesses in a relationship, that you could sense compatibility.” Scorpius prompted.  
  
“I did.” Al agreed, pursing his lips, “What exactly do you want to know?”  
  
“Could Lorcan and I work? I mean, he’s my best friend, but when we were together…it just wasn’t right. I thought it would be easy and painless, but it was anything but. I couldn’t fall in love with him.” Scorpius admitted, tugging at the end of his braid, where it was slung over his shoulder. “He thinks we gave up too soon, but I’m not so sure about that. I don’t want to mess up our friendship any more than we already have if it’s not going to work.”  
  
Albus let out a shaky breath, covering his face with his hands for a moment before moving them up to push his hair back. Green eyes met grey, “You’re aware that despite the fact that I do not like him, I would not allow my feelings to get in the way of a truthful reading.”  
  
“Of course.” Scorpius might not have known Albus Potter well, but he knew enough about him to know he was honourable.  
  
“Okay then.” Al closed his eyes, “Lorcan and you can be great friends. Your interests align, your likes and dislikes match up, you grew up together and know one another better than most. You open up to him and he understands you, and vice versa. When it comes to romance, the reason you clash is because you’re an intensely private person who does not share himself with someone romantically unless they’re it, the one, which you don’t feel Lorcan is. Things you would normally share, become difficult to talk about. This affects your friendship, which is the foundation for your romantic relationship and so everything becomes unsteady.”  
  
Scorpius’s brows furrowed at this, but he nodded, as if encouraging Albus to finish. “Lorcan is not the patient kind, he probably pushes you to talk, which will possibly makes you more defensive. He doesn’t see the need to change the way you are with each other because of the nature of your relationship, but you are unable to keep things the same.”  
  
There’s a few long moments of silence, before Scorpius lets out a half-hearted laugh, “That’s a fairly succinct summary of our state of affairs.” He sighed, “I always thought if Lorcan and I got together, that would be it. I never imagined…” His grey eyes looked out into the Forbidden Forest, “Do you think there’s someone else out there for me?”  
  
Albus ached to reach out and wrap his arms around the Slytherin. To pull his head down and kiss him so thoroughly that he would never again doubt who he belonged with. Instead, Albus took several steps back and looked away, “I think it’s getting late. We should head back.”  
  
The abrupt change in topic had Scorpius frowning, but when he took note of Albus’s stiff frame, stony expression and clenched jaw, he decided not to argue.  
  
That was the first and last time Albus Severus Potter truly spoke to Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy during their Hogwarts years. Both boys graduated that year, and while Scorpius began his auror training, Albus started his teaching course. They did not cross paths again until nearly seven years later.


	2. Making a Move

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the comments and kudos! The story seems to be flowing well on my end - so fingers crossed it'll be a long one. Let's see :D I'm really starting to fall in love with these two <3
> 
> Disclaimer: Characters and world belong to J.K. Rowling but storyline and situations are mine.

I heard the distinct crack of someone apparating into my apartment and groaned, burying my head further into my pillow to avoid reality. This was my last real day of sleeping in, and I was not going to let my stupid brother pull me out of bed for some godforsaken—  
  
“Al, I lost the ring!” James cried as he ran into my room. I could hear the panic in his voice, and if it were any other day I would have been concerned and already on my way to get him a cup of tea so he could calm down.  
  
Today, though, was not just any other day. It was the last day of summer holidays. The last day before early morning breakfasts at the Great Hall, the constant questions of new third-years, the bored indifference of fourth and fifth-years, the eager interest of sixth-years and the anticipation of the seventh-years. The last day before late night patrolling, handing out detentions, comforting broken-hearted teenagers and being on the constant lookout for mischief.   
  
Don’t get me wrong, I loved my job at Hogwarts, but it could get exhausting. I needed to sleep in today.  
  
“Al! Come on, please! I know you have that rule about last day before Hogwarts but this is an emergency!” James pleaded, trying to pull the covers away from me. 

I whined, curling up to make his job more difficult, “How can you lose the bloody ring? You said you put it away somewhere so it would be safe till you were ready to propose!”  
  
“I know! I can’t remember where I put it though. I bought it like three years ago, and we’ve moved houses once in between. Oh Merlin, Al, what if someone stole it? Or if Kaitlyn actually found it?! I’d never live it down.”  
  
“You’re never going to live this down!” I growled, finally allowing him to pull away my sheets and glaring up at him sleepily, “I hate you.”  
  
James grinned, “You love me.”  
  
“My favourite sibling is Lily, and my second-favourite is Rose.” I said matter-of-factly, getting out of bed and making my way to the bathroom.   
  
“Rose isn’t even a sibling!”  
  
“Well, _she_ would never wake me up on my last day of holidays!” I retorted, my voice muffled thanks to the toothbrush in my mouth.   
  
I could practically hear James roll his eyes, “You realise you’ve had two months off already. No one else gets time off like you do, and we all survive.”  
  
“Just because you lot are robots, doesn’t mean I need to be one.” I stalked out of the bathroom and to my kitchen, “Tea?”  
  
“Yes, please.” James followed me and got comfortable at my counter, “I really am sorry, you know. It’s just…I was thinking of doing it tonight. Proposing.”  
  
“I thought so. Why else would you have gone looking for it when you’d apparently manage to forget about it for three years?” I said, turning to grin to at him while the water boiled. I preferred making tea the Muggle way; it somehow tasted better.  
  
“Do you think you’ll be able to find it?” James asked, looking hopeful.   
  
“Well, you’re my brother, and we might not be close, but—”  
  
“Albus!”  
  
I laughed, “Sentimental attachment comes into play here. I should be able to find it. When did you last touch it?”  
  
“When I bought it.” James admitted sheepishly, “I have a picture of it that I stare at every once in a while, but I never wanted to take it out in case Kate saw it.”  
  
The kettle whistle went off, and I took it off the heat and poured James and I a cup each. I finally took the chance to study him, something about his aura and energy throwing me off. I frowned, “Did you go anywhere before coming to visit me?”  
  
“Oh, yeah I did. I’d dropped by home, and Mum asked me to floo into the Ministry to give Dad his lunch. Turns out his department was pulling an all-nighter — something about a dark magic objects cropping up in people’s homes. I ran into Malfoy on my way out by the way, he asked about you.” James said, taking a sip and making a happy noise.  
  
Of course. Now that I knew, I could almost see traces of Malfoy’s energy, and I wondered how it had managed to catch my notice despite the obviously brief contact he and my brother had. It could be the fact that I haven’t seen Scorpius in nearly seven years, and just the thought of him made me hurt. Any trace of him was a trace I savoured.   
  
I’d long since given up on him approaching me. I was twenty four, and if it hadn’t happened by now, it was likely never going to. Not to mention, even living at Hogwarts for ten months in a year didn’t keep gossip of his latest conquests from reaching me.   
  
Scorpius was living his life...very well, and I could not hold that against him. No matter how much I wanted to curse every man who got to touch him in my place.   
  
He was meant for me, but that didn’t mean someone else wouldn’t be enough. It didn’t mean he wouldn’t choose to settle.   
  
“Al?” James had a strange expression on his face, one that seemed to be torn between worry, concern and realisation, “Is this about Malfoy? Did he do something to you?”  
  
I gave my brother an annoyed look, “Scorpius did nothing to me. My mind just drifted off for a minute, you know it can do that sometimes.” I cleared my throat, “Anyway, I know where the ring is.”  
  
Scorpius forgotten, James sat up, excited and relieved, “You do?”  
  
“And I didn’t even need my gift to find it.” I smirked, making my way to the bedroom and opening up my closet. I pushed aside some piles of clothes to reveal the black velvet box my brother had entrusted to me when he’d decided Kate was the one three years ago.  
  
“I gave it to you!” James realised, laughing, “Of course I did. I knew I’d kept it somewhere safe!”  
  
“When are you going to propose then?” I asked, suffering through the bear hug bestowed on me.  
  
“I’m taking her out to dinner tonight to that fancy pub that just opened up in Hogsmeade. I thought I’d ask then. I’m ready, and I’m tired of waiting. I love her, Al.” He looked so besotted as he spoke that it made my heart ache all over again. I wanted this. I wanted Scorpius. It had been seven years. What was I really waiting for anymore? For him to choose someone else?  
  
Scorpius might have suspected me of enchanting him when we were seventeen, but as stated before, it had been seven years. If I was going to enchant him, why would I have waited so long? I’ve built up a reputation for myself as a, for lack of a better word, ‘psychic' — a reputation of accuracy and honour, and there was no reason for Scorpius to doubt my intentions. No reason whatsoever.  
  
“ALBUS!”  
  
I started at James’s shout, blinking up at him, “Sorry.”  
  
“What’s going on? This is the second time in one morning that you got lost in your head. Is something wrong?” James asked, getting up and grabbing hold of my shoulders, studying my face.  
  
“No. I just made a decision.” I said, steeling my nerves; my sheer determination fuelled my courage, “You said you ran into Scorpius at Dad’s office?”  
  
“Scorpius?” James’s brows furrowed, “As in Scorpius Malfoy?! What does your decision have to do with him? Did he hurt you?”  
“James! Focus! Was he in Dad’s office?” I repeated, glaring at my elder brother.   
  
Eyes wide, James just nodded, but that was all the confirmation I needed. I let my brother go and disapparated from my apartment, scaring the life out of my father when I apparated in the middle of his private office in the Ministry.  
  
“Al? Merlin’s Beard, what are you doing here?! Why are you in your nightclothes? Is everything okay? James said he was coming to see you.”  
  
I managed a quick, “I’ll explain later!” Before I darted out of his office. I could sense Scorpius now. The familiar calm greys of his energy and the menacing air of tightly leashed power that followed him around. I found him at his desk, legs thrown up on the table, chair leaned back as he looked through some papers. His golden hair was tied back in a high ponytail rather than his usual braid, the new style suiting his more mature but still breathtakingly handsome face.   
  
My father’s cry of “Albus!” from his office, had his brows furrowing and he looked up from his work to stare at me. In his hurry to get off his chair he almost toppled over, which would have been funny, except all my aforementioned courage was beginning to drain away and I was realising what exactly I’d done.  
  
I was in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, in my nightclothes, surrounded by aurors who seemed to think I might have lost my mind by the way they were watching me warily. I was standing in front of Scorpius Malfoy, who had the same wary look on his face (though his eyes did wander a bit), and I had no idea what I was doing.  
  
“Potter? Is everything okay?”  
  
No, no, no. I could not allow myself to chicken out. This was the moment. My moment. I was going to make a move on Scorpius.   
  
How did one go about making a move anyway? A kiss on the lips seemed too forward, besides what if Scorpius didn’t want to kiss me on the lips? I didn’t want to take that choice away from him. And I didn’t want this to be our first kiss as a couple. I couldn’t see myself managing to actually speak in this situation, so words were out as well.   
  
“Do you think he’s in shock?”  
  
“He’s just kind of standing there, maybe he forgot why he came here?”  
  
“This is the flaky Potter, right?” Someone whispered, softly enough so my dad would not be able to hear, “The one who’s teaching Divination?” The way they sneered the subject name was not unfamiliar to me.   
  
“Oi, shut up!” Scorpius said sharply, making something within me melt a little, before he turned those grey eyes at me once more, “Potter, I don’t know what’s going on, but whatever it is, we’re here to help, okay?”  
  
I was filled with such overwhelming emotion in that moment that I just launched myself forward and threw my arms around Scorpius’s neck, hugging him tightly. His body locked up against mine for several long moments, before he thawed, his hands hesitatingly circling my waist, before one raised to cradle the back of my head protectively.   
  
The touch, somehow, gave me strength to look up into Scorpius’s worried face. I raised myself onto my toes, watching his pupils dilate as I did and pressed a kiss to his cheek. I could hear the shocked silence around me, but ignored it to lean further so my mouth was at my Slytherin’s ear, “I’ve waited long enough.”  
  
With that said, I stepped away from Scorpius and closed my eyes, letting out a long, albeit a bit shaky, breath. I turned to face my father and noted his astonished, open-mouthed expression, “I apologise for barging in like this, Dad. I’ll owl you.”  
  
I apparated back into my apartment to find James still there, sitting on my bed, head held in his hands. He looked up when I arrived and rushed forward to hug me as soon as he saw my face.   
  
“For Merlin’s sake, Al, what the hell did you just go do?”  
  
“I think I just made a move on Scorpius Malfoy.” I admitted in a small voice, hugging back tightly, the sensation of being held by Scorpius still fresh in my mind.  
  
I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t James’s laughter. After a few moments, I began to laugh as well, and we both collapsed onto my sofa in a fit of giggles.


	3. Getting Our Way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys! Thanks so much for the kudos and comments :) I hope you enjoy the chapter - I've tried to make it a bit longer and re-think how I'm splitting chapters so you guys get something good to read with each update!
> 
> Please Note: While the characters and the world do not belong to me, the storyline and situations do, so paws off!

Nothing stayed secret for long in my family. My little visit to the Ministry on the last day of summer holidays was no exception.  
  
My father had apparated in while James and I were still in splits of laughter, and he’d waited us out with a bemused expression and a cup of tea.  
  
“What is this all about, Albus?” He asked, when we’d finally calmed down, green gaze serious behind black-framed glasses, “Scorpius was stunned, to say the least.”  
  
“He was okay, though?” I asked, just to make sure.  
  
Dad snorted, “He had just been kissed on the cheek by his boss’s son. When I left, he was being thoroughly ragged on by his partner and the rest of the department, but he seemed fine.”  
  
“So wait. You went there, kissed him, and then left?” James stared at me in wonder, “Al, way to stump the poor guy. What the hell is he supposed to take away from that?”  
  
“That I wanted to kiss him?” I said, though it sounded more like an uncertain question than a statement.  
  
James groaned, “Today was supposed to be my day. I’m proposing to Kate! How did you manage to overshadow that?”  
  
I felt a little bad, “I’m sorry. I didn’t think about that. I’ve just been waiting for so long, and listening to you talk about Kate, and getting married…I just—I got tired of waiting.”  
  
“Waiting?” Dad repeated, brows furrowing, “Why would you be waiting?”  
  
I buried my face in my hands, trying to hide how red my face was, “Because I’ve known Scorpius Malfoy was the love of my life since I was eleven.”  
  
“WHAT?!”  
  
“Eleven-year-olds can’t fall in love, can they?”  
  
I gave both my father and James an annoyed look, “If you want to get specific, I knew he was going to be very important to me when I was eleven. I didn’t realise he was going to be the love of my life until I was thirteen.”  
  
“Merlin’s Beard, Al!” Dad said finally, running a hand through his hair, “Is this a…divination thing?” That was what my family had taken to calling anything to do with my gift.  
  
I rolled my eyes, “Yes, in a sense. I was drawn to him, I always have been. I never did anything about it because Sybill was sure that he needed to approach me.”  
  
Dad huffed, “Trelawney was a mad old hat! Are you telling me you’ve been pining after Scorpius for thirteen years?!”  
  
“Dad, I was not pining.” I said, aggravated, “If I could manage it, I tried not to think about him.”  
  
“I don’t get it. Why not make a move when you both were in school?” James asked, looking confused.

“Because, no one knew too much about my gift then, and my feelings were too intense for a teenager. Sybill was right in a way. If I’d pursued Scorpius in school, and he realised later how I’d come to notice him, he might have thought I’d enchanted him or something.”  
  
“He would not dare!” Dad sputtered, angrily, “Malfoy should be bloody grateful you’re even looking at him regardless of what made you look!”  
  
I couldn’t stop my fond smile as I pulled my father into a hug, “You’re sweet, Dad.”  
  
That had been on Monday. It was now Saturday and the castle was just about ready to receive its new instalment of students. I checked my classroom once more, before going into my attached storage room at the back to make sure I had enough tea leaves, crystals, etc. I’d moved Divination out of Sybill’s attic classroom as soon as I’d taken up my position. While they had their charms, the rope ladder and smokey room environment had only added to the phoney feeling of the subject. Divination was not about theatre, it was about intuition and a twist of magic. Everyone had a little bit of ability in them, but only few could tap into it the way I had.  
  
I heard the sound of my classroom door opening and cocked my head thoughtfully, wondering who might have come to visit. I suspected it was a well-meaning member of my family, come to make sure I was okay. Rose had visited on Wednesday with Lily, and Mum had caught me before I left London on Tuesday morning. Lysander had sent me a letter on Friday saying Scorpius had come by to see his brother on Wednesday night and his brother had been off ever since. I was still mentally going over my list of possible visitors, when there was a knock on the storage room door.  I turned around and froze, my eyes widening as I took in the sight of Scorpius Malfoy in my classroom.  
  
He was dressed in his Auror robes, black and grey so as not to stand out in a crowd, and he would have looked crisp and formal if not for the fact that his hair was down, falling beautifully around his face and down his back. Grey eyes raked over my form and I was reminded of the way they’d done so earlier that week, when I’d just been in my boxers and threadbare t-shirt. I was a bit more dressed now, in a pair of jeans and a yellow t-shirt.  
  
“Potter.”  
  
I felt my lips twitch at the usual greeting, and smiled, “Scorpius. What can I do for you?”  
  
Grey eyes darkened delightfully at my words, and I bit back a laugh. “I was wondering if you’d like to get lunch. With me.”  
  
I felt myself blush, but I was too happy to really be embarrassed by it, “A lunch…date?” I asked, just to make sure.  
  
Scorpius smiled now, his familiar half-smirk, half-smile, and held out his hand, “You sit down with me and explain what the hell Monday was all about, and we can talk about making it a lunch date.”  
  
I grinned, reaching out and placing my hand in his, loving the way his fingers immediately tangled with mine as he turned to lead us out of the classroom. I could sense his contentment, his happiness, and felt myself grow almost giddy with emotion. Scorpius kept glancing at my face, and whatever he saw there made him squeeze my hand, “You can sense what I’m feeling, can’t you?”  
  
I grew flustered for a minute, trying to take my hand back, “I-I’m sorry, I should have warned you before—”  
  
He just held on tighter as we left through the castle entrance, “I didn’t ask because I minded. I asked because I remember you telling me that you need to be in tune with someone to be able to sense their emotions.”  
  
I stared at the side of his face, more than a little astonished. He was right, of course. I had told him that, in a brief conversation over seven years ago. And he still remembered.  
  
I swallowed around the lump in my throat, “We’ll talk at the pub.”  
  
He gave me a cheeky smile, “I never said I was taking you to a pub.”  
  
“Well, we’re going to Hogsmeade, aren’t we? There aren’t too many other options for food there in general, but especially not before school starts.”  
  
When Scorpius stopped outside Madam Puddifoot’s, I stared at him in growing horror, “No.”  
  
Scorpius just grinned as he pushed open the door and pulled me in behind him despite my dragging my feet. A few other professors were there with their spouses, and all of them stared in surprise as Scorpius and I were led to our table.  
  
I hid my face in my hands, “You realise I work here? I’m never going to live this down.”  
  
“Well, now you know how I felt on Monday.” Scorpius quipped.  
  
I looked up at that, frowning, “Oh. I-I’m sorry.”  
  
“You should be.” Scorpius said, making my stomach twist as my heart began to sink, “My partner will never let me hear the end of it. For the rest of my career, it’s going to be ‘do you remember that morning when Albus Potter showed up looking like he’d come straight from bed to give you a kiss?’”  
  
I flushed a deep red, looking down at my hands which were twisting the table napkin nervously. Of course, Scorpius was annoyed. Had he just come to tell me off? It hadn’t seemed that way in Hogwarts, but maybe I’d just seen what I’d wanted to see? My thoughts grew steadily darker and I found myself fighting tears as I tried to work out the best way to get out of here without being stopped.  
  
The strong grip that forced my face up was so unexpected that I didn’t fight it, allowing Scorpius to get a good look at my bright eyes before the grip shifted to cup my jaw, “Hey, come on, what’s wrong?”  
  
“I-I’m sorry if I humiliated you at work.” I managed, my voice only the slightest bit shaky, “I’d like to leave now, please.”  
  
Scorpius cursed before abandoning his seat and coming to kneel next to me, keeping his hand at my face, the other one taking hold of my hands. I felt his remorse and regret, as well as the sincerity behind his next words, “I was just joking around. When the guys at work tease me, I just tell them that they’re jealous they don’t have someone who would show up in their nightclothes to give them a kiss.” The hand holding my hands tightened its grip, “And they should be jealous, because I’m a very lucky man. There are very few people who manage to be important enough to someone that they work up the courage to make a move regardless of their clothing, the time of the day, or the fact that their father is watching.” Grey eyes studied my face intently, “That is what happened, isn’t it?”  
  
I turned one of my hands so my fingers tangled with his once more, sniffling slightly as my tears escaped only to be wiped away gently by those long fingers I’d once admired. “I thought I was the one with the gift.”  
  
Scorpius chuckled, before getting up just long enough to pull his chair over, so he was sitting next to me rather than across from me. “How long have you been waiting, exactly?” His voice was soft and serious.  
  
I managed a shaky laugh, letting go of his hand to reach up and wipe away the rest of my tears, “I think that might be a third date question.”  
  
Understanding that I was not ready to talk about it yet, Scorpius just laughed as he picked up his menu, “You’re just trying to trick me into saying this is a date.”  
  
“Oh, this is a date.” I assure him, “You made sure of that when you brought me here.” I gestured around us at the heart-themed cafe we were sitting in.  
  
“So what you’re telling me is, you managed to get me to come see you without actually asking me to, and I managed to get you on a date with me without actually asking you to.” Scorpius mused, reaching out and clasping my hand once more, “It seems we’re both very good at getting our way.”  
  
“What happens when we both want different things?” I wondered, enjoying our light-hearted banter more than I’d imagined I would.  
  
“Well, that’s simple. I’d persuade you to want what I want.” Scorpius clarified, smirking.  
  
I laughed, “I would like to see that.”  
  
Scorpius seemed to think about it for a moment before shaking his head, “I’m afraid those tactics need to wait until at least the fifth date.”  
  
I blushed furiously at his implication, and he laughed.

* * *

 

  
The first day of Hogwarts was very different for teachers. Leaving aside the fact that we had our first day more than a week before, the actual day students arrived was a flurry of activity. The house-elves got so flustered they actually allowed themselves to be seen as they went about ensuring the castle was ready for its regular inhabitants, all House Heads had to look over their House Common Rooms to ensure everything was in order, and a handful of teachers (usually the new ones) were chosen to ride the Hogwarts Express from Hogsmeade to London and back again, so they could supervise the students’ journey.  
  
I was all set to leave for Hogsmeade to catch the train at nine, when a house-elf came scurrying up to me looking hassled and overworked. “Master Potter! Headmistress requests Master Potter’s presence at her offices!”   
  
Surprised, I thanked the house-elf, offering him a chocolate frog from my stash for nervous students on the train, before going on my way. I tried to mull over what McGonagall could want with me. The only thing I could think of that had taken leave of my usual ‘the week before Hogwarts’ routine was Scorpius’s visit.   
  
Surely, the Headmistress had better things to do than poke her nose in her teachers’ love lives?  
  
And at that thought, I couldn’t stop the ridiculous smile that came out every time my thoughts wandered to Scorpius and our afternoon together. It had gone beyond my expectations. Scorpius had been more open than I’d expected, allowing himself to smile and laugh with me in a way I hadn’t seen him do with others. We’d kept our conversation light, not straying beyond our work lives and the latest gossip regarding our Hogwarts peers; though that topic eventually veered towards our friends.  
  
“I remember you being close to Rose Weasley and Lysander Scamander.” He said. Our food had arrived at this point, but he had yet to let go of my hand, so I made do by eating with my left hand. I was not going to break the contact for anything.  
  
“Yes, they were probably my closest friends in Hogwarts.” I confirmed, smiling, “It helped that Rose was my cousin, and Lysander was Sorted into Hufflepuff with me.”  
  
“Are you in touch with them still? I mean, you must be with Rose, but with Lysander?”   
  
I felt as if he was going somewhere specific with this line of conversation, so I played along. “To be honest, you probably see more of Lysander now than I do. We exchange letters regularly, and meet at a pub every now and then, but we probably aren’t as close as we used to be.”  
  
Scorpius studied me for a moment, before nodding and returning to his food. We ate in silence for a few minutes before he spoke again, “I’m still close to Lorcan.”  
  
“Yes, I know. He’s your best friend.” I said, taking a drink of water.  
  
Those grey eyes appraised me intently, holding my gaze, and Scorpius let out a low, thoughtful hum. “I suppose it would be quite egotistical of me to assume your dislike for Lorcan stems from…this.”  
  
“This?” My voice was tight now, and we were beginning to tread waters I did not yet want to explore with Scorpius.  
  
“This.” The Slytherin confirmed, “This thing between us that has us talking as if we were old friends rather than two people who had one conversation seven years ago.”  
  
I frowned, “If you’re suggesting that I’ve done something—”   
  
“The only thing you’ve done is drive me to distraction for five days wondering how the hell I missed the fact that Albus Potter fancied me.” Scorpius cut me off to say, not allowing my doubts to get the better of me.  
  
Instead, his words had me blushing once more. I stared at my plate for a moment, looking up and saying, “Yes.” Before I took my next mouthful.  
  
Scorpius frowned, confused, “Yes?”  
  
“Yes, it would be egotistical of you.” I elaborated, hearing his low chuckle as I did, “But you might not be wrong.”  
  
“Might not?” Scorpius smirked, and I was tempted to lean over and kiss the smug look of his face.  
  
Of course, I didn’t. This thing, whatever it was between us, it was new; and I wanted us to take our time with it. I’d waited nearly thirteen years for this man. Now that I knew he was well on his way to being mine, I could wait a few more months.  
  
“Felix Felicis.”   
  
The gargoyle came to life and gave me an appraising look before stepping aside to let me through. The Headmistress was busy at work with half a dozen papers strewn on her desk. She looked as stern as ever, and despite her age, you would have to be a dimwit to cross her.   
  
I cleared my throat.   
  
“Yes, I did hear you come in, Mr Potter. Please, take a seat.”  
  
I made myself comfortable in one of the armchairs across from her desk, “What is this regarding, Professor? I will miss the Hogwarts Express if I’m not in Hogsmeade by nine.”  
  
“You will not be boarding the Hogwarts Express this year, Albus. In fact, you’re being given an honour not many teachers get at your age.” McGonagall finished with her papers and with a wave of her wand had them piled up neatly at one corner of her desk. She then turned her attention on me, “Professor Flitwick came to me at the beginning of the last academic year and voiced his intention to retire. He was willing to stay on until we found a suitable replacement, which we did, a few hours ago.” She looked toward the door, “Enter.”  
  
Staff changes in Hogwarts were not particularly uncommon nowadays, with a majority of the teachers from our parents’ generation slowly retiring one after another. Professor Sprout, Professor Vector, Professor Flitwick, Professor McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey, Hagrid and Mr Filch were the last remaining bastions of the previous generation. I didn’t think Professor Binns counted, seeing as he was dead and all.   
  
While I was still the youngest member on the staff rolls, the new Potions Master was only a decade older, our Astronomy professor was just five or six years older to me, and our new Charms professor, by the look of him, was just a few years older to me. He stepped into Professor McGonagall’s office and gave me a friendly grin, “Hello, I’m Marcus Renald, I’m the new Charms Professor.”  
  
I shook his hand, “Albus Potter, Professor of Divination.”   
  
His general aura was amiable, but something about the way he looked me over when he heard my name made me uneasy. I knew now why I was here, at least in part. McGonagall often had me meet new teachers to get a feel for them and give them my stamp of approval. We had turned away two candidates before purely because something about them warned me that they might be a danger to our students.   
  
Marcus Renald, while potentially creepy to me, seemed overall quite harmless. I looked back at McGonagall and gave her a discreet nod. She smiled, “Very well, Mr Renald, Albus will show you around the grounds right after I finish speaking with him. You may wait outside.”  
  
As soon as he’d left, I turned to McGonagall with a pleading expression, “Do I have to?”  
  
She rolled her eyes, “Honestly, Albus, sometimes it feels as if you are still a student here. I thought you indicated he was fine?”  
  
“He is! He just gives me the creeps.” I sighed, “But I suppose I can show him around for you, Professor McGonagall.”  
  
“Yes, well, thank you for that, Mr Potter.” She said dryly, “I did have another matter of business to discuss with you.”  
  
“You want me to take over as Hufflepuff Head of House since Professor Flitwick is gone.” I deduced, having determined this sometime after meeting Renald and realising he was definitely not experienced enough to step into Flitwick’s shoes and no one else in the staff was from Hufflepuff.  
  
McGonagall looked annoyed that I hadn’t waited for her to bring it up first but she nodded, “Will you accept?”  
  
“Of course! Thank you for the opportunity, Professor.” I grinned widely. If I wasn’t wrong, I was the youngest Head of House in the history of Hogwarts! How’s that for a legacy? Rose would be so jealous.  
  
“Very well then.” She reached into one of the drawers in her desk and pulled out a heavy tome that looked like it had not been touched in a while, “This book will give you a good idea of your duties and responsibilities as Head of House. Please make sure you read it thoroughly.”  
  
I groaned inwardly but nodded, “Yes, Professor.”  
  
“Remember, all the Hufflepuff students will come to you with their problems, and you will need to be available to meet with them at any time, including the holidays. You will be expected to behave in a manner befitting a Head of House, and you will stop turning a blind eye when you catch seventh-years sneaking alcohol onto school grounds. Am I understood?”  
  
I felt colour rise to my cheeks as I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly, “Of course, Professor. It won’t happen again.”  
  
“See that it does not.” She said sternly, though I could make out a hint of a smile on her face, “You are dismissed, Mr Potter.”  
  
The rest of the afternoon passed uneventfully. Renald really was a generally affable kind of fellow, though it became apparent quite quickly that he had grown up worshipping the ground my father walked on. It was almost funny, when I met these kind of people I was forced to look at Dad the way they might see him. A young hero who, at the tender age of seventeen, vanquished the Dark Lord and saved the Wizarding World. No one seemed to account for Aunt Hermione’s brilliant mind keeping my father alive, or my Uncle Ron’s friendship helping my father stay true to who he was. In every Harry Potter fan’s eyes, he worked alone and he won alone.   
  
Renald tried to ask me questions about Dad — what he was like, how skilled he really was in magic, what did he do first thing in the morning, etc. It got to a point where I was forced to tell him, in no uncertain terms, that my family was off-limits as a conversation topic. If he had questions about Hogwarts, his classroom, the curriculum, or his future students, I could help — if not, he would do better seeking out one of the other professors.  
  
Sufficiently chastised, he apologised and we parted ways at the kitchen. I’d left it for the end of my tour as the Hufflepuff Common Room was located close by.   
  
A quick Tempus told me I was running late, and I tried to get through my inspection as quickly as possible. A house-elf was waiting for me in the Common Room, and when I was done, she led me to hidden entrance.   
  
“It’s the way to Master Potter’s rooms, sir! It is so that Master Potter can get to the Common Room as quickly as possible, sir!” She explained, showing me where to tap my wand so the passage would open for me. “It will only open for Master Potter’s wand, sir! No ones else can enter.”  
  
“Well, that’s handy. Thank you, Nim!” I remembered her from kitchen raids when I was still a student.  
  
She looked like she had just been handed whole heaps of clothes, “Master Potter remembers my name! Nim is very honoured, Master Potter!”  
  
“Well, Nim, if I can remember your name, surely you can call me by mine. It’s Albus, not Master Potter.” I said with a grin, knowing it was a lost cause but giving it a shot anyway.  
  
“Of course, Master Albus!” The house-elf chirped, and I had to concede that it was probably the best I was going to get.  
  
I managed to reach my room just as the firecall came in. It was Louis, of course. We have regular firecalls every Saturday, since he was in the middle of nowhere with Uncle Charlie battling dragons. This Saturday, I’d missed the call while I was out with Scorpius, but I’d promised him all the juicy details when he called today.  
  
“Albus Severus Potter, you better be there to answer this call, or I’m going to Floo over there and—oh, there you are.” Louis grinned when I sat down in front of the fire.  
  
“How was that threat supposed to end?” I wondered, smiling back at him.  
  
“Well, I would have done something terrible, obviously. No one gets away with missing my call twice without serious consequences.” Louis eyed me curiously, “Speaking of, I believe I was promised apologies and gossip.”  
  
“I’m very sorry I missed your call, Louis. The absence of your weekly cheer cast a shadow on my day.” I tried to keep a straight face as I delivered my dramatic apology.  
  
Louis nodded in a superior manner, “That’ll do. Now, onto the gossip; I had an interesting letter from Lily last week.”  
  
“Ah, of course you did.” I said, shaking my head a little, “What did she tell you?”  
  
“Something about you fancying Malfoy?” Louis said, looking at me questioningly, “Is that common knowledge now?”  
  
“Wait, what does that mean? Did you know?” I asked, eyes widening in surprise.  
  
Louis laughed, “Did I know?” He repeated mockingly, “Al, it was really obvious — at least up until fourth year. Then you got really good at hiding it. The whole Lorcan thing was obviously not fun for you.”  
  
I scowled, “Let’s not talk about him. It’s bad enough he’s still friends with Scorpius.”  
  
Louis perked up at that, leaning forward, “Wait a minute, are you telling me this is actually a thing now? How did it happen?! Tell me everything!”  
  
“Well, James came over to pick up the ring on Monday. He proposed, by the way.” I informed Louis.  
  
He waved the news away, “Eh, we all knew it was going to happen. Your story sounds much more interesting.”  
  
I mentally apologised to James before continuing on with how I became jealous and in a fit of what could only be called madness, I visited the Ministry and made a move on my Slytherin. By the end of my tale, Louis was in splits, holding his sides with tears in his eyes from how hard he was laughing.  
  
I rolled my eyes, “It wasn’t that funny.”  
  
“Merlin! Al! I wish someone had taken a picture of Uncle Harry’s face!” Louis gasped in between bursts of laughter, “And Malfoy! He must have been so confused! This is the best story ever!”  
  
Pouting, I crossed my arms at my chest and glared at Louis until he managed to calm down. It took him a good fifteen minutes before he could form a full sentence again.   
  
“So does missing my call on Saturday have something to do with all this?” He asked, still grinning widely.  
  
“You could say that. Scorpius came by and took me out for lunch.” I couldn’t help my ridiculous smile now, and Louis cooed at the sight of it.  
  
“Aww! I knew he wasn’t a complete prat! That’s adorable. Are you two dating?”   
  
I smiled slightly as I thought of how Scorpius had walked me to the entrance of Hogwarts and asked if he could drop by again the following week.  
  
“Kind of.” I said in response to Louis’s question, “We both agreed that the lunch out had been a date, and he asked to see me again.”  
  
“I’m happy for you, Al.”   
  
“I hope you’ll still be happy for me when I tell you we’ll have to temporarily reschedule all our calls to Sunday? Scorpius works all week and he has some family commitment on Sundays, so Saturday is the only day he can come out here to see me.” I explained, hitting Louis with my most hopeful/pleading expression.   
  
He rolled his eyes, “Why can’t you floo into London to see him during the week?”  
  
“Well, that wouldn’t have been possible for the first few weeks of school anyway, which is what Scorpius and I discussed. Now though, it might be difficult during the rest of the school year as well.”  
  
“Why?” Louis asked, frowning.  
  
“Because McGonagall just appointed me Hufflepuff Head of House.” I grinned, excited to share my news with Louis, and he didn’t disappoint in terms of reactions. He let out a loud whoop that had someone running into his tent to find out if he was okay.  
  
“That’s amazing news, Al!” He cried, grinning widely, “You must be the youngest Head of House in the history of Hogwarts!”  
  
“I think so.” I agreed, laughing happily.  
  
“Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny must be so proud! I’m surprised this isn’t all over the family news network.”   
  
“Oh, well, when I say she just appointed me, I literally mean it. She asked me if I wanted the position an hour ago, and I accepted.” I admitted.  
  
“Merlin, what are you sitting here and talking to me for then? Call your family!” He paused before ending the call, “Congratulations, Al. Tell Malfoy that if he’s idiot enough to let you go, he’ll have me to deal with.”  
  
I chuckled, nodding.   
  
The rest of the afternoon was filled with owls and firecalls, with my parents floo-ing into my rooms to hug me and congratulate me in person. Louis was right, they were thrilled.  
  
Compared to my busy afternoon, the back-to-school feast in the evening was actually quite tame. McGonagall introduced Renald, and announced my promotion to Head of House. I helped the prefects lead the first-year Puffs up to the Common Room, and stood by while they welcomed everyone to their new dorms.   
  
There were a few upset eleven-year-olds who had never left home before, and I spent some time with each of them, doing my best to assure them that they were going to have a wonderful year. And when the Common Room finally emptied, I dimmed the lights and made my way back to my rooms.   
  
Time for another year at Hogwarts.


	4. The Second Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your lovely comments! :) I'm so glad everyone seems to be enjoying this. On to the next chapter!
> 
> Please Note: While the characters and the world do not belong to me, the storyline and situations do, so paws off!

First day of classes was always the most tiring. It was the one class I spoke a majority of the time, and my students just had to listen, take notes and ask questions. You do not know true exhaustion until you’ve done three back-to-back double periods of a class where you needed to be talking the most.  
  
By the end of the day my throat was sore, and all I really wanted was a hot cup of tea and my bed. Instead, waiting at the entrance of the staff quarters at the Great Hall, was a little girl in yellow and black Hufflepuff robes. I recognised her as one of the children who had trouble adjusting the previous night.  
  
“Hello! Your name is Meghan, right?”  
  
The girl nodded shyly, but didn’t say anything else.  
  
“Well, Meghan, what can I do for you?” I asked, trying not to sound like I had a frog in my throat as I spoke.  
  
“I-I just wanted to say thank you, P-Professor Potter. You were right, I already made three friends today!” The girl said, gaining confidence as she spoke. That was the general way of Hufflepuffs. It took us a moment to find our bearings, but once we were comfortable, it was hard to stop us.  
  
“That’s great news! I’m glad you’re making friends. What classes did you have today?”  
  
And that was how I found myself seated at the Hufflepuff table with my students up until the dinner gong rang and I had to make my way to the staff table. Once the other first-years had seen Meghan speaking to me it was a free-for-all. Everyone wanted to tell me about their day, who their friends were, what they thought their favourite subject was going to be. My head was ringing when I sat at my place beside Fredrick, our Potions Master and the Head of Slytherin House. He gave me a sympathetic look, “Never engage with first-years. It’s practically a rule, Albus.”  
  
I snorted, giving him a bemused shake of my head and reached eagerly for the hot cup of tea that had materialised in front of me. I heard the low hoot of an owl before I saw the fair creature that swooped down to land on my shoulder. The snow white owl held out its leg for me, revealing the letter it had brought.  
  
I untied its burden, and gave it a few scratches before offering it a slice of meat from my plate. It ate the meat daintily from my fingers, managing to not get even a single feather dirty.  
  
“You’re Thalia, aren’t you?” I realised, now recognising Scorpius’s precious owl. He had got her in his fourth year and had showered her with affection whenever he thought no one was looking. I’d always found it extremely endearing.  
  
I turned my attention to the letter in my hands and the owl on my shoulder tucked her head down and settling in for a nap. Scorpius’s loopy almost-unreadable handwriting made me smile.  
  
_Dear Albus,_  
  
_I wasn’t sure what the protocol was in this case, but your father told me about your promotion to Head of House. Congratulations!_  
  
_Harry seemed to be surprised that you’ve made history, but I’m not. You always tend to make a mark, whether you mean to or not._  
  
_I didn’t know if you wanted to hear from me outside of our Saturday dates yet, but I needed to tell you that I’d heard, and as obnoxious as it sounds, I’m really proud of you._  
  
_I’ll see you on Saturday._  
  
_Yours,_  
_Scorpius_  
  
_P.S. - I’ve asked Thalia to stay with you overnight. If letters are allowed, you can send through a response with her tomorrow._  
  
“You okay, Albus?” Caroline asked, leaning over from the other side of Fredrick with a worried look on her face.  
  
“I’m brilliant.” I said, grinning, “I think I’ll just grab something from the kitchen later. I need to reply to the letter and get this one settled in the Owlery for the night.” I said, scratching the top of Thalia’s head.  
  
_Dear Scorpius,_  
  
_Thank you! The promotion was a bit of a surprise, but I guess it was inevitable in a way. I am the only Hufflepuff on payroll at Hogwarts._  
  
_You should meet Flitwick’s replacement, you’d just love him. I warned him, on pain of some serious cursing, that my family was off-limits as a topic of conversation. So, this morning at breakfast, he asked me if he could get my autograph instead of Dad’s because I happen to look like Dad enough that he could imagine it was from him! I almost cursed him._  
  
_Regarding the matter of whether I want to hear from you outside our Saturdays together, I will only say this — as if you had any doubt how a letter from you would be received by me. Coy doesn’t suit you, Malfoy._  
  
_I’m glad that I could make you proud (even if it did sound a bit obnoxious), I look forward to doing so again in the future._  
  
_Always yours,_  
_Albus_  
  
Wednesday and Thursday practically flew, and Scorpius’s next letter arrived with the morning mail on Friday.  
  
_Dear Albus,_  
  
_Does Harry know about his latest rabid fan at Hogwarts? Somehow I doubt it. I feel the need to tell you that I would disapprove, on principle, if you decided to actually befriend this man at some later point in life. He is forever ruined in my eyes, dubbed ‘the man with a Potter fetish’._  
  
_Coy could suit me, if I wanted it to. I can make anything work for me, Potter. It’s something you need to come to terms with now, otherwise I’m going to constantly surprise you. Though, I suppose that might not be a bad thing._  
  
_I was thinking we could head into the Forbidden Forest tomorrow? Away from the little children, which I’m sure you’d appreciate after this first week back at school. If you could talk the house-elves into packing lunch for us, I know a great spot we could spend the day with no danger of being eaten._  
  
_I’ll see you soon._  
  
_Yours,_  
_Scorpius_  
  
_P.S. - Don’t think I missed your sign-off in the previous letter. We’re going to talk tomorrow._  
  
I was almost nervous when I met Scorpius at the entrance to the castle, right up until the moment that I saw him. He was dressed in Muggle clothes, something I’d never seen him in before, wearing the most deviously tight pair of jeans with a crisp white shirt that he wore tucked in, and he’d rolled up his sleeves to show off his forearms. His hair was in a familiar braid, and his lips were curved up in a smile that seemed to be just for me.  
  
I threw myself at him before he reached the top step, nearly sending us both tumbling back onto the ground, but Scorpius caught himself in time, shifting his weight so he could support mine as well while remaining standing.  
  
“Albus!” He chided, but he didn’t push me away; if anything, he pulled me closer.  
  
I rested my chin on his chest to grin up at him mischievously, “Sorry.”  
  
“You are not, you minx.” Scorpius said, smiling as he looked down at me, his fingers combing through my already unruly black hair. “How does anyone take you seriously in a classroom with this hair?”  
  
I made a face at him, “Shut up.” I glanced around and realised we had become the centre of attention. A majority of the students out enjoying the good weather were craning their necks to catch a glimpse of my blond visitor. “Maybe we should go inside.”  
  
Scorpius noted the looks as well and shrugged, “They don’t bother me, but I’m okay with getting out of here. Why would we go inside? I thought I told you we’d go to the forest today.”  
  
“You also told me to sweet-talk us some lunch.” I reminded him, stepping back and removing his hands from my hair, loving the feelings of happiness, joy and something that felt a little like disbelief that coursed through from Scorpius to me. “I did such a good job that I can’t carry all the food by myself.”  
  
Scorpius allowed me to pull him through the Great Hall, where we got even more looks, and through the entrance to the staff quarters. “I told you to find us lunch, not get us enough food to feed an army.” He looked around the staff hallways, grey eyes lighting up with interest, “I feel like I’m breaking the rules. I’ve never been back here before.”  
  
“Well, you’ve never had permission to be here before. I don’t even think Dad managed to sneak into the staff quarters, even with his map.” I said, taking a few turns.  
  
“Are you telling me the map is real?! My father told me he thought Harry had a way of getting around the castle without being caught, and I’ve heard mentions of a map, but Merlin’s Beard!” You could hear the awe and excitement in Scorpius’s voice.  
  
I chuckled, “You know who you’re beginning to sound like right now?”  
  
The excitement transformed to wry amusement as Scorpius rolled his eyes at me, “I am appreciating the existence of a brilliant piece of magic. I’m not perving on your father.”  
  
“Well, if you’re nice to me, you could examine said brilliant piece of magic for yourself.”  
  
And just like that the childlike awe was back, “Are you telling me you have it with you?”  
  
“I am the only Potter left at Hogwarts. It’s going to stay with me until Teddy or James have kids. Then it passes on to the next generation of Marauders.” I explained, stopping outside my door.  
  
“Marauders?” Scorpius asked, confused.  
  
I gave him a grin over my shoulder, “You have so much to learn.”  
  
With that, I opened the door to my rooms and pulled Scorpius in, distinctly aware of the fact that the love of my life now knew where I slept for ten months in a year. Something about that sent a thrill of excitement through me.  
  
Scorpius let out a low whistle, looking around the entryway, before moving into the hall, taking note of the small but functional kitchen, and peeking into the open doorway of my bedroom. “These are nice rooms.”  
  
“Thanks.” I blushed furiously as I forced the next words out, “I-I can give you the Floo address for this room, so you can just Floo in. If you’d like. I imagine it would be easier than apparating outside school grounds and walking up every time you came to see me.”  
  
Scorpius chuckled, walking up to me and wrapping his arms around my waist, “You’re adorable.”  
  
I just leaned forward to bury my face in his chest. It was a few moments before I managed a muffled “Shut up.”  
  
I felt his chuckle reverberate in his chest, and I snuggled closer, holding tighter. I felt his fingers in my hair again and let out a contented noise, closing my eyes and enjoying the way his calm greys merged and slid along my blues and yellows. I could feel how protective he was of me, how precious he thought I was, and it made my chest swell.  
  
“Since we were both eleven.” I said in a small voice, knowing even as I did that Scorpius would not be able to hear me.  
  
He pulled back a little and cradled my face in his hands, “Say that again?”  
  
I couldn’t look away from his light grey eyes, “I’ve been waiting since we were both eleven.”  
  
Scorpius let out a low swear before he bent down to rest his forehead against mine, our lips brushing, breaths mingling, but neither of us moved to initiate a kiss. This moment seemed almost too intimate for that.  
  
“I’m sorry I made you wait.” He whispered against my lips, and I felt my control crack as tears slipped past my eyes.  
I let out a watery laugh, trying to step away from him, “You’re always making me cry.”  
  
His hands held my face in place as his fingers brushed away my tears. His grey eyes were serious as he spoke, “We’ll get done with the tears now, and make up for it by laughing a lot later.”  
  
“Are you talking about today?” I asked, smiling slightly.

“Merlin, I hope not.” Scorpius breathed, and I could feel his affection for me, his ever-growing devotion to me. It made more tears spring up, but I laughed through them, closing the distance between us now to clumsily press a chaste kiss to his lips.  
  
Scorpius retaliated by pressing kisses all over my face, lips and jaw, murmuring apologies as he went, leaving me no doubt with how happy he was by this turn of events that resulted from my misadventure to the Ministry of Magic.  
  
It was a while later that we sat curled up together on the sofa, staring at all the food, both of us emotionally drained.  
  
“Are you still up for hiking through the forest?” Scorpius asked, looking to me from where he sat at the opposite end of my sofa, our legs tangled together in the middle.  
  
I gave him a dry look and he let out a short laugh, “Yeah, me neither.” He looked back at the food and shrugged, “Well, at least you won’t have to eat at the Great Hall for the next week or so.”  
  
I threw a cushion at his head, making him laugh, “I like going to the Great Hall. You are not leaving me with all this food.”  
  
“Well, I’m not going anywhere yet. It’s just past noon, and I’m here until at least dinner time.” Scorpius tilted his head back to look at the ceiling thoughtfully, “I suppose we could relocate some of this to my place. I never have enough time to get groceries, so I usually just eat out. Hogwarts food is better than any pub food on Diagon Alley.”  
  
“Scorpius, you can’t be eating at pubs every day. Do you have any idea how much oil they use in their food? It’s extremely unhealthy!”  
  
He grinned widely, “Well, it probably is, but now I have you to make sure my fridge is regularly stocked with Hogwarts food.”  
  
“You think I’ll be able to talk the elves into cooking a weeks’ worth of food for you every Saturday?” I asked, brows raised in disbelief.  
  
“I have faith in you, Albus.”  
  
“And when McGonagall finds out I’ve been sneaking food out of the kitchens for you? I’m bloody Head of House now. She already told me off for letting the seventh-years sneak in alcohol.”  
  
“You did that?” Scorpius grinned, “I knew I’d like Professor Potter.”  
  
“Well, Professor Potter is going to plate up some lunch for us, and then he’s going grocery shopping with you. Come on, help me pick something for now. We can attempt to finish the rest for dinner.”  
  
“What?” Scorpius sounded astonished, “Albus, you must be joking. We do not need to go grocery shopping. This is our date day, remember?”  
  
“Well, I’d rather spend our date day making sure you were eating well for the rest of the week than spend it lying around my rooms because we’re both feeling too lazy to go out.” I said firmly, unwrapping a plate of sandwiches.

* * *

  
“That’s an obnoxious amount of greens.” Scorpius said dryly, returning from the wizarding laundromat and dry cleaner. The shop had been opened specifically for wizards like Scorpius, who were living alone and could not manage a decent clothes cleaning and ironing spell. Household chores required very different magic to what Scorpius used on a daily basis as an Auror. Defensive and offensive magic often relied on power, not precision.  
  
We had left Hogwarts after a quick lunch, taking a majority of the food with us through Floo since Scorpius suggested we have dinner at his home. His home, it turned out, was buried under piles of dirty robes which had accumulated over the course of several weeks. He’d looked embarrassed when he realised the state of his home, but assured me not to worry about the clothes as he accio-ed them to his room and closed the door — apparently he was planning to take the clothes to his parents’ house the next day for cleaning, as was his habit every few weeks.  
  
So, of course, I showed him the shop in Diagon Alley.  
  
“If you’ve managed to eat all this by the time I see you next week, there could be a reward.” I said nonchalantly, picking up a carton of apple juice and adding it to the cart.  
  
“This sounds suspiciously like when my mum used to bribe me with sweets, but I find myself intrigued.” Scorpius admitted, stepping up behind me and wrapping an arm around my waist. His nose nudged the top of my ear and it made me smile as I leaned back against him. I was allowed to have this now, and the realisation still stunned me every once in a while.  
  
“You can ask me anything, and I will answer truthfully.” I offered, knowing even as I did that it was a risky offer. There were still things I would rather ease Scorpius into rather than speak about now. I could probably manage one question, though.  
  
Scorpius hummed thoughtfully, before turning to press a kiss against my cheek and stepping back, “Deal.”  
  
I paused near the sweets and snacks aisle, considering the selection thoughtfully before placing two packs of Bertie Botts Every Flavoured Beans, and three Chocolate Frogs in the cart. I could practically feel Scorpius’s scrutiny as I shopped. He followed me silently until the check-out, where he refused to let me pay, and it wasn’t until we had apparated back to his flat that he broke his silence.  
  
“Apple juice instead of pumpkin?” He questioned, unpacking the carton in question, his grey eyes watching me intently.  
  
“Well, you don’t like pumpkin. You never touched the pumpkin pasties at Hogwarts.” I pointed out as I opened his fridge and put things away.  
  
“What about all the candy?”  
  
“You like sweets, don’t you?” I asked, looking at him with a brow raised in question.  
  
He looked mystified, “How did you manage to stalk me so thoroughly without me noticing?”  
  
I turned red, both from anger and embarrassment if I was being honest, “Don’t flatter yourself, Malfoy. The Slytherin table was not that far away from the Hufflepuff table. I didn’t have to do more than look over once in a while and be observant.” I let out an irritated huff, “Besides, you never paid me much attention in school anyway.”  
  
“It wasn’t that I didn’t pay attention.” Scorpius tried to half-heartedly protest, looking like he knew he was lying even as he spoke. I shot him a glare, and he shut up. We finished unpacking the rest of the food in silence, and when everything was put away, he sighed. “I feel like you want me to apologise for being with Lorcan.”  
  
I walked over to his dining table which was placed between the living room and open kitchen, and sat down. Running a hand through my hair, I sighed, “Of course I don’t want you to apolo—” I cut myself off as I felt a slight shift in the air. I knew who was coming just before the telltale crack of an apparating sounded.  
  
“Scor, Merlin, where in the Wizarding World have you been?” He’d apparated facing the kitchen, so he stood with his back to me and had no idea he and Scorpius were not alone in the room. “I’ve been by three times already today! Let’s go get drinks at that muggle pub we both like.”  
  
Scorpius looked instantly alarmed, “Lorcan! What are you doing here? I told you I would be at Hogwarts today.”  
  
Lorcan moved easily around the flat, as if he had been here several times, which he probably had. I felt my stomach twist at my next thought, my eyes darting to where I knew Scorpius’s room was. Had he slept here before? Had Scorpius had sex with Lorcan after Hogwarts?  
  
It was a more than likely possibility. After all, they were best friends who had dated each other for a few years. There was history there, and something about that had me looking for a way out.  
  
Scorpius must have seen something in my expression, because his brows furrowed and he moved as if to make his way to me. Lorcan didn’t seem to notice though, “Hogwarts? Were you being serious about that? Is this about Potter again? For Merlin’s sake, Scor!” He sounded exasperated.  
  
“Lorcan, shut up.” Scorpius said sharply, shooting Lorcan a dirty look before walking around him towards me.  
  
“Where the hell are you—oh!” Lorcan’s brown eyes went wide at the sight of me standing awkwardly in Scorpius’s living room. “Potter. Didn’t see you there.”  
  
I let out a bitter laugh, “Yes, I gathered that.” I said, managing to keep the insecurity from my voice and hopefully my expression.  
  
Scorpius went down to his knees in front of me, reaching up to cradle my face and frowning when I flinched a little at his touch, “Albus?”  
  
I couldn’t meet his gaze. I’d always known Lorcan was going to be a sore point. That it was going to take me time and small doses of exposure to the other boy for me to accept him as a part of Scorpius’s world. Because that’s what he was — very much a part of Scorpius’s world unlike me, the interloper. An intruder. One Scorpius had not even deigned worthy of notice before I made a fool of myself for him.  
  
“I think it might be time for me to leave.” I said quietly, “I don’t want to be late for dinner.”  
  
Scorpius didn’t try to force my gaze to his, but I could feel how carefully he studied my expression, “We were going to have dinner here, remember? We brought back the food the house-elves gave us for our picnic.”  
  
I just swallowed, looking up at the ceiling as I struggled to keep a straight face and think of a good excuse to get the hell away from here. From the corner of my eye I could see Lorcan watching us with the strangest look on his face, but even the fact that Scorpius was being openly affectionate with me in front of him didn’t help in the slightest.  
  
“I should go.” I said a bit more firmly; and because I knew I was being horribly unfair to Scorpius for no fault of his own, I forced myself to meet his gaze. The open worry on his expression surprised me a little; my smile came easier than I’d expected it to and I could feel myself soften with affection for this man before me. “I’ll write later.”  
  
“And I still get my question next week.” Scorpius stated, eyeing me suspiciously as we both stood up.  
  
I rolled my eyes, some of the tension in my body dissipating, “I believe that was conditional on you eating healthy this week. That means eating the greens and no pub food.”  
  
Scorpius smirked, his grey eyes giving away his relief at the quick re-establishment of our banter, “My mum should take lessons in bribery from you.” He said softly before leaning in and pressing a chaste kiss to my lips. One of his hands cradled the back of my head as he held me in place to search my eyes for a moment, “I’ll see you next week.”  
  
I made a small sound of assent as I stepped away. “Floo in. You remember the address?” I checked, making my way to his fireplace.  
  
“I remember, Albus.” He said, chuckling.  
  
I shot Lorcan a quick look, my expression evening out to something neutral as I did, “I guess I will see you some other time, Scamander.” I hoped he understood what I was trying to tell him. I might have been leaving that night, but this was a temporary retreat. I would be back.  
  
Lorcan stared at me with a conflicted look on his face for a minute before pursing his lips and looking away. I heard Scorpius let out a sound not unlike a growl before flames wrapped around me and transported me back to Hogwarts.  
  
I had enough energy to just about remove my clothes and crawl under my sheets before I closed my eyes and forced myself to go to sleep. There would be time to go over what had happened this evening, but doing it now would only have me in tears. I hated crying.  
  
By the time I got around to sending Scorpius a quick message the next morning ( _I’m sorry I left, I hope you managed to have a decent evening. Have a good day with your family!_ ), Thalia was there waiting for me in the Great Hall with a letter.  
  
_Dear Albus,_  
  
_I wish you hadn’t left like that last night, I was looking forward to dinner with you. I will apologise for Lorcan’s atrocious behaviour — I know you both don’t have the best of relationships, but I saw you try to be civil last night for me, and that meant a lot. That he couldn’t manage to make the same effort is disappointing._  
  
_I have so many questions right now. I feel as if I have made mistakes in your eyes over the last decade or so without my even being aware of them. I don’t know how to go about making up for them, but I want to try, Albus._  
  
_Don’t disappear on me like this again. Please._

_Yours,_

_Scorpius_

I kept the letter in the pocket of my robes, and by the end of the day it was a wrinkled, slightly splotchy mess. I’d read, and re-read it so many times, going over the words and the emotions in them.  
  
Scorpius was right, of course. The nearly thirteen years of wanting him to notice me and never managing to get his attention had left their mark. I was thrilled to be with him now, still a little disbelieving of how interested he is, but a part of me is petrified that this is all temporary. It seems like a dream that I’m not meant to have. What we have is still so new, so fragile, while Lorcan…he could apparate into Scorpius’s home without warning and he knows his way around my Slytherin’s flat. Most significantly, Lorcan had Scorpius’s attention, love and affection years ago and those emotions must have only strengthened with time.  
  
Unless I found a way to make my peace with the last thirteen years of waiting, watching and wanting — Scorpius was going to be fighting a losing battle with my insecurities for the rest of our lives. If he even wanted to stay with me that long.  
  
I shook my head firmly. No. That wasn’t fair. Scorpius had given me no indication that he was taking this thing between us lightly. In fact, every time we touched I could feel how sincerely happy he was with me. No one could fake that kind of emotion — not with me.  
  
Mind made up, I made my way back to my room where Thalia was roosting on one of the posters of my bed.  
  
_Dear Scorpius,_  
  
_I said it in my earlier letter, but I feel as if I need to say it again: I’m sorry for leaving. I’ll admit I got overwhelmed. We were talking about something that I still feel vulnerable about and Lorcan showing up did not help matters. I will, however, promise that I will not disappear on you like that again._  
  
_I know now, as I knew yesterday, that I was being unfair to you. I hurt, still. You caught a glimpse of it yesterday afternoon, and made it all a little better, but it will be years before all that hurt can be put to rest. Please know that I don’t hold the fact that I hurt against you. None of what I feel is really your fault at all. I was the one with the feelings, I was the one who kept them from you. All you did was live your life, and how could anyone blame you for that?_  
  
_You have nothing to make up for._  
  
_Tell me about your day. I hope I didn’t ruin it for you._  
  
_Always yours,_  
_Albus_  
  
I almost scratched out that last line. It seemed a bit presumptuous of me to think that I might have had the power to ruin his day. I couldn’t rewrite this letter though, not with the same kind of emotion.  
  
_Dear Albus,_  
  
_I told Mother what you were attempting with your little game of bribery and she was highly amused (and a little impressed, I think). She told me to let you know that if you manage to make me a healthy eater, you really will need to give her those lessons I mentioned._  
  
_Other than that, lunch with my family went pretty much as it usually does. Grandfather Malfoy made a dig at my homosexuality, Grandmother Malfoy made a dig at Grandfather Malfoy, Father attempted to ignore the general unhappiness of his parents and made doe-eyes at my mother throughout the meal, and mother served up a fantastic meal as always._  
  
_Speaking of fantastic meals, you really missed out on some excellent food. The house-elves outdid themselves and those sandwiches we had for lunch were nothing compared to the rest of the food. After Lorcan left in a huff, I enjoyed a king’s meal by myself. Alone. In my flat. With no one to keep me company._  
  
_Have I succeeded in making you feel awful for leaving me again?_  
  
_No? Let me try again._  
  
_I was completely miserable. A total wreck. You have to make it up to me this…Saturday seems too long a time to wait to see you. Can I floo in on Wednesday night?_  
  
_You owe me a dinner._  
  
_Somehow yours,_  
_Scorpius_  
  
With a helpless smile on my face, I sent back a note with just a single word on it. _Yes._


	5. A Hufflepuff Defender

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so so so sorry for the HUGE delay in getting this out. I've been facing a writer's block with this story. I'm going to power through (kudos to anyone who got the Friends reference) and hope my characters help me out :) Enjoy the new chapter!
> 
> Please Note: While the characters and the world do not belong to me, the storyline and situations do, so paws off!

“Did something happen over the summer, Professor?”  
  
I paused next to one of my best students, a seventh-year Gryffindor, Jade Thomas.  
  
We were going over crystal readings in class, not to be confused with crystal ball readings. Crystal readings required infinitely more focus, and a certain amount of aura reading ability. I’d discovered, over the years, that witches and wizards who kept an open mind were actually able to hone a certain level of empath abilities. As much as I adored Sybill, she had been very old-fashioned in her view of Divination, and that had led to the subject gaining the worst reputation. Things had changed a little in the last seven years, but I hoped for a day when even my sixth- and seventh-year classes would be filled with students.  
  
“You’re supposed to be focusing on Mr Wright’s aura, not my own.” I reproached, giving Jade an arched look.  
  
We were a small class of fifteen students from all houses, and everyone was now paying attention to my conversation with Jade.  
  
The seventh-year blushed, “I apologise, Professor Potter. I-It’s just your aura today is…dancing, sir. It’s hard to ignore.”  
  
I had to concede that. Jade was one of my more empathic students, and I could believe that my uncontrolled aura had managed to divert her attention. I’d been teaching third years and fourth years over the past two days, and I’d forgotten about the need to leash my aura. Especially given that my mood was particularly heightened lately.  
  
“Of course.” I sighed, giving her a wan smile as I threw a shield of sorts around my aura, “I forget how good some of you have become at aura-readings.”  
  
“You didn’t answer her question, Professor Potter.” Kent Smith spoke up, blue eyes trained on me. He’d been nursing a growing crush on me for the last few years; this year in particular, he was being extremely bold and persistent, flirting shamelessly whenever he got the chance.  
  
I’d been unsure of how to discourage him without addressing the matter outright, but it seems I had just been handed the perfect opportunity.  
  
I rolled my eyes good-naturedly, “Not that it is any of your business,” I stated, looking around at the sheepish expressions of my students, “but I have a date tonight.”  
  
Excited whispers broke out immediately, and more than a few students grinned knowingly. It was a Slytherin boy, Malcolm, who spoke up, “Are you dating Scorpius Malfoy, Professor?”  
  
I gave him a wry smile, “I suppose we haven’t exactly been discreet.” I admitted, shrugging, “Yes, I am.”  
  
“But Professor! He’s a Malfoy! His family were death-eaters in the war!” Kent protested loudly, looking annoyed.  
  
I couldn’t control the wave of fury I felt, and the way it made my aura swell had several of the more sensitive students flinching back from me. I narrowed my eyes at Smith, pursing my lips, “Five points from Gryffindor for poor judgement and unfair bias based on blood. We do not discriminate here at Hogwarts, Mr Smith. See that you remember this.”  
  
Still feeling irrationally angry and protective of my Slytherin, I ordered everyone to go back to their work and no more questions were asked for the remainder of the double-period. Smith, however, had the audacity to linger in my classroom until the rest of the students were gone.  
  
I didn’t move from my place in front of my desk, my arms crossed at my chest, “Something I can help you with, Mr Smith?”  
  
He looked a little uncomfortable for a moment, but spoke anyway, “It’s just, Professor, I’m a little worried for you. My father says Draco Malfoy was practically evil incarnate when they were in school together!”  
  
I closed my eyes, mentally chanting that I was not allowed to curse students for a few moments before I spoke, “None of our parents are great at remaining unbiased about events of the past, Mr Smith. They probably have good reason, but we don’t. Hate begets fear, which only results in more hate — it is the biggest lesson we can take away from Voldemort’s reign.” I opened my eyes and pinned the boy in place, “Unless you want me to remove more points from your House, I suggest you rethink your words and your actions. I will not take kindly to my loved ones being insulted outright in class again. Have I made myself understood?”  
  
Blue eyes widened in understanding and a hateful expression crossed the boy’s face before it mellowed to something sulky, “Yes, Professor Potter.”  
  
“You are dismissed, then.” I said coolly, waiting until the boy had shuffled out of the classroom and shut the door behind him before letting out an explosive breath and burying my face in my hands.  
  
When Scorpius arrived that evening, I was curled up on the sofa opposite the fireplace, waiting for him. I had the world’s worst headache, which tended to happen when my emotions fluctuated from one extreme to another in a short span of time. I’d felt the stirrings of it after my class with the seventh years, and it had only grown worse since. I hated Smith a little, for all that he was a student, for putting me in this state on an evening I was supposed to spend with Scorpius.  
  
My Slytherin took one look at me and his eyes widened with alarm, “Albus? What happened?” He asked, walking over and sitting down on the edge of the sofa. His long fingers combed back my hair and the ever-peaceful aura around him soothed me.  
  
“I have a bad headache.” I admitted, leaning into his touch and giving him a wan smile, revelling in the concern I felt from him. “I’m sorry.”  
  
“You have nothing to be sorry for.” He murmured, leaning forward to press a kiss to my forehead, “Do you get headaches like this often? Should I get a potion from Madam Pomfrey?”  
  
I shook my head, humming contently, “I feel better now that you’re here. Don’t go anywhere.”  
  
Scorpius chuckled, but obeyed, allowing me to rearrange us so that he was sitting up behind me on the sofa, his legs bracketing my body as I lay my head on his chest, my arms tight around him. “I’ve heard of a ‘healing touch’ but a ‘healing presence’ is new.”  
  
“It’s your aura.” I informed him softly, “It’s always calm and peaceful. After a day surrounded by emotional teenagers, it feels particularly wonderful.”  
  
“There’s a compliment I don’t get every day.” Scorpius said, bending so his nose was buried in my hair, “You smell like coconut.”  
  
“My shampoo.” I informed him, lifting my head to press a quick kiss to his cheek, “I’m glad you’re here.”  
  
He seemed to sense that there was more to my clinginess than just the headache, “What happened, Albus?” He asked softly, pressing his forehead against mine and keeping us there, eyes closed and breath mingling.  
  
I sighed, “A student with a particularly insistent crush on me insulted you in class today.”  
  
Whatever Scorpius had been expecting, it obviously wasn’t that because he pulled back, ignoring my whine of protest, grey eyes wide as they met my gaze, “You talk about me in your classes?”  
  
I blushed, “Not usually.”  
  
I explained what happened in class that day — how Jade had asked after my mood, how Kent had pushed for an answer, how I’d thought it would be a good way to let him down easy, and how it had all backfired on me.  
  
“I was so furious, I had to remind myself several times that I wasn’t actually allowed to curse him.”  
  
Scorpius listened to the whole story in silence, occasionally chuckling or humming an acknowledgement. At my last admission though, a tender look seemed to take over his face, “I didn’t think I’d ever need a messy-haired, green-eyed Hufflepuff defender in teacher’s robes.” He said sounding bemused and affectionate all at once.  
  
“There are so many parts of that statement that I take issue with.” I informed him with a narrow-eyed glare, before burying my face in his chest once more, taking in the scent of his subtle cologne mixed with man, sweat and something distinctly magical. “Were you out on the field today?”  
  
He nuzzled my cheek, kissing it lightly, “Yes. We were out raiding houses today.”  
  
I frowned, my mind going back to something James had mentioned weeks ago, “Does this have to do with the missing dark magic items?”  
  
Scorpius gripped the back of my head and tugged so my face was turned up to him, giving me a dry look, “That’s supposed to be highly classified information.”  
  
I gave him my best look of complete innocence, “I can’t help the fact that my dad is the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and my mum is a political journalist.”  
  
Scorpius rolled his eyes, “Yes, it had to do with the dark magic items.” He conceded, “They’re turning up in people’s homes, causing them harm, when they’re supposed to be guarded carefully by their rightful owners.”  
  
“Can you tell me what you mean?” I asked, curious.  
  
“Well, any powerful dark magic items were required to be registered with the Ministry when Voldemort fell. A lot of the families wished to keep the items for ‘sentimental reasons’, so the aurors sealed the magic in each item, made sure to register who had it and where it was being kept, before returning it to its owners.” Scorpius explained, his grey eyes dark with interest and excitement. “Recently items, that have not been reported missing, are turning up in other peoples’ homes, seals undone. It’s only after we find them that the original owners admit that they had gone missing a while before.”  
  
“So you’re checking the houses yourselves, to see which items are missing.” I deduced, my brows furrowing in concern. I’d always known being an auror involved a certain amount of danger, but it was only now that I understood to what degree I would be worrying about Scorpius for the rest of our lives. “You’re being careful?”  
  
Scorpius chuckled, caressing the line of my jaw before leaning in and kissing me full on the lips.  
  
This wasn’t like any of our other, brief touches of lips to lips. This was a toe-curl inducing, dominating kiss that had my eyes fluttering shut, and my hands tightening around the body I held. A teasing nip to my bottom lip had me letting out a little gasp, and I felt Scorpius’s tongue tease along the inside of my lips before he pulled back for a second to search my face.  
  
I stared up at him, dazed, and whatever he saw made him smile against my lips as he kissed me again, his tongue entering my parted lips and curling around my own, drawing a needy groan from me.  
  
I’d somehow pushed myself up so I was straddling Scorpius’s hips, my hands coming up to cup his face, trembling as they did. He must have felt the shake in my fingers, since he pulled back and opened his eyes, his fingers intertwining with my own. The depth of emotion in those grey eyes shook me, and I just leaned in to press our foreheads together.  
  
“I’m sorry I left on Saturday.” My tone was heartfelt, and I know he could hear the sincerity in my voice.  
  
“You’ve already apologised, and I’ve already accepted your apology.” Scorpius told me softly, brushing my hair back from my eyes and smiling up at me, “You have to know, Albus, I’ve never felt like this about anyone before.”  
  
“And how do you feel, exactly?” I could sense the tangle of different emotions when we touched, but I couldn’t make out each one.  
  
“I feel lucky, and amazed that you want me. I feel disbelief about the fact that you’ve wanted me for as long as you say you have, and I feel stupid for missing the signs. I feel angry when I think that we could have been doing this for years, already. I feel ashamed for making you wait and for the fact that I haven’t been as devoted to you as you have been to me.” Scorpius closed his eyes, letting out a shaky breath, “I feel confused, because I never thought it was possible to feel so much for someone so soon.” Grey eyes opened to look at me, their depths filled with some intense unnamed emotion, “When you left that night, I felt afraid. I was scared you were going to walk out of my life as easily as you’d walked in. I was scared because I was going to lose you, and I was terrified by how much I didn’t want to.”  
  
I flung my arms around his neck, holding him close as he tucked his head against my neck and held me back. I pressed a kiss to the top of his fair head, “I’m scared too.” I admitted, my voice thick with emotion, “I’m scared because you’re everything I’ve ever wanted, and I don’t know how long you’re going to want me back.”  
  
Scorpius held tighter, “A long time.” He promised against my skin, his voice muffled, “A very long time.”  
  
Some indeterminate amount of time later, Scorpius lifted his head, his eyes were red, but his face gave away his newly found sense of peace. He smiled, “How’s your headache?”  
  
I laughed, sniffling, “It’s gone.”

* * *

 

There were occasions in Hogwarts, where a professor would have their spouse or family visiting for a meal, so there were a few dining rooms in the staff quarters that specifically existed for this purpose. You had to get the Headmistress’s permission and let the house-elves know in advance, but it made for a nice, cozy meal.  
  
The room I’d chosen for our meal had a table set for two, surrounded by floating balls of lights. It was located at the back of the castle, and so the window our table was placed next to, looked out at into the Herbology greenhouses and the forest beyond. Soft, slow music played in the background.  
  
Scorpius squeezed my hand as he looked around, his brows raised, “Wow.”  
  
I laughed, “You’re easily impressed.”

“I had no idea we had rooms like this in the castle.” Scorpius said, looking around at the sparse decor and walking up to the window to look out. “I’ve never noticed them from the greenhouses.”  
  
“They’re charmed to be visible only to the teaching staff.” I informed him as I walked up to the table and took a seat, looking out as well, “It was like being given the keys to a whole new world when I started working here.”  
  
Scorpius grinned and slid into the seat opposite mine, “You’ll have to show me everything one day.”  
  
“Definitely.” I promised, grinning back. Food began to appear on our plates, and we began our meal. Watching Scorpius eat reminded me of the deal we had struck over the weekend. “So, have you eaten out at all this week?”  
  
Scorpius gave me a dry look, “No, I haven’t, but if you’re trying to find out whether I’ve finished the vegetables yet, the answer is no. You bought me too much. There’s no way I’ll be able to eat everything by Friday evening!”  
  
“What is happening on Friday evening?” I asked, frowning slightly.  
  
Scorpius looked puzzled, “Have you not had an owl from your father yet?”  
  
“No? Was I supposed to get one?” I asked, taking a sip of wine.  
  
“Well, apparently you have a family dinner this Friday? Harry invited me to join as well. He thought it would be good for me to get to know the Potter side of your family before I was exposed to the Weasleys. He said you would be okay with it.” Scorpius insisted, watching me a bit uncertainly when he realised I had no idea what he was talking about.  
  
I blinked, “Yes, of course I’m okay with it!” I reached out with my free hand and squeezed the hand Scorpius had resting on the table, “I’m just surprised. Are you truly all right with meeting my parents so soon?”  
  
Scorpius smiled, that genuine, gorgeous smile I’d seen so rarely before we’d started dating, “We’ve been out three times now, and we’ve exchanged a number of letters. I know it’s only been two weeks, but this feels different. Permanent.”  
  
“I want it to be.” I whispered, hardly able to believe my ears.  
  
It was Scorpius’s turn to squeeze my hand now, “Besides, I already know Harry. It probably won’t be much of a disaster.”  
  
I couldn’t help my giggle, “Is that what you’re setting your standard at? That the night would have gone well if it ‘wasn’t much of a disaster’?”  
  
“I’m realistic. My grandfather enabled Voldemort to possess your mother in her second year. My father and your father were legendary enemies in all their years of school together. ‘Not much of a disaster’ sounds like a perfectly good standard for me.” Scorpius said with a bemused expression, shrugging.  
  
I scowled, “You are not your grandfather, and your father was fourteen when Voldemort came to power. He had no choice but to do as his parents asked of him. He has been an honourable member of the magical community for the last few decades, and I know you love him, which means he’s a great father!” I said firmly, my green eyes flashing, “If anyone holds crimes of the past against you, they are idiots. I will not let you be insulted because of that, regardless of whether the people insulting you are my family or my students!”  
  
My piece said, I stabbed a honeyed carrot with my fork, eating it a bit viciously. It was one thing to hear a sixteen-year-old boy parrot his parents’ ideals in class. It was a whole other thing to hear someone I love put himself down because of things that happened before he was even born!  
  
Scorpius stared at me, stunned, for a long moment before he let out a shaky, overwhelmed laugh. I could see his aura fluctuating as he tried to gain control over his emotions. He was relieved, by my words; he was relieved and happy. When he got out of his chair and reached out to pull me up, I went without any protest, allowing him to enfold me in his arms as his lips pressed featherlight kisses down the side of my face and along my jaw before he kissed me properly. He kissed me until my breath had left me and my knees weakened. He kissed me until I was left with no doubt as to who I belonged to and how happy I made him.  
  
We slowly went from kissing to some form of dancing — my head resting on Scorpius’s shoulder, our arms around each other, our feet shuffling quietly against the floor so we swayed in time with the music. Scorpius watched me as we danced, our gazes locked, and he occasionally bent down to brush a kiss to my lips, or cheeks or forehead.  
  
“Was that how you told off that Gryffindor student you mentioned before?” Scorpius murmured finally, breaking the silence as his fingers combed lovingly through my hair.  
  
I considered his question for a moment before making a small sound of assent, “Probably. Why?”  
  
“Because you look bloody sexy when you’re pissed off.” Scorpius revealed, smirking as he looked down at me, “There is no way in hell that boy is giving up on you any time soon.”  
  
I huffed, annoyed, “Well, that’s too bad for him. I’ve tried being nice about it. If he insists on flirting blatantly after this, I will have to tell McGonagall.”  
  
Scorpius chuckled, “Don’t do that. As much as I already dislike the sound of this little lion, I can empathise with him.” He bent down to suck and lick and bite along my jaw, making my breath hitch, “If I’d ever had you as a professor, I would not have been able to resist trying my luck either.”  
  
“Flattery will get you nowhere.” I informed him, even as I smiled.  
  
Scorpius walked backwards until he was resting against the now empty table, pulling me up against him so our bodies were pressed together, “We’ll see about that.” He said smugly, grey eyes alive with mischief as he caught my lips in a kiss once more.  
  
It was well past midnight by the time we managed to return to my rooms, and Scorpius reluctantly kissed me goodnight before he flooed back to his flat.


	6. Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so so sorry for the delay. My only excuse is the ridiculous state of my life at the moment. Lol. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Thanks for sticking with the story :)

I received a letter from my mother the next morning at breakfast.   
  
_Dear Albus,_  
  
 _How are you, sweetheart? We haven’t spoken since your father and I came by to see you the day school started._  
  
 _How have your classes been? What are your students like this year? I know you mentioned having some trouble with that git Zachariah Smith’s son last year — I hope he has been behaving himself._  
  
 _I’m a little hurt, Albus. I’ve waited patiently for two weeks for you to bring it up (unlike most other members of our nosy family), but I’m seeing that maybe I gave you too much leeway. Scorpius Malfoy — I want to know everything. Your father, who is sneakier than both you and I give him credit for, has informed me that Scorpius comes to see you every weekend._  
  
 _Scorpius will be attending our family dinner tomorrow evening. Make sure to owl the poor boy and let him know we don’t bite._  
  
 _I hope being with him is everything you hoped for, Albus._  
  
 _Love, Mum_  
  
I waited until I was done with my fifth years class in the afternoon before I wrote back.  
  
 _Dear Mum,_  
  
 _I know I haven’t been writing as often as I usually do, but it seems you already know the reason for my silence so I won’t apologise too profusely._  
  
 _Scorpius first came to see me the Saturday before school officially opened, and he took me out for lunch at Madam Puddifoot’s. Since then, we’ve seen each other two times, but we exchange letters every day. He was actually with me last evening, and we had dinner together, so I was already aware of father’s invitation (you’re right, he is sneakier than I expected)._  
  
 _He’s wonderful, Mum. He’s sweet, funny, a little cocky and he has so much love to give. A part of me still can’t believe this is finally happening. That he’s finally mine. Was this how you felt when Dad asked you out in fifth year?_  
  
 _I will floo to Scorpius’s flat and come to dinner with him._  
  
 _Love, Albus_  
  
I finished my lessons by lunch time on Friday afternoon so I packed an overnight bag and flooed to Scorpius’s flat a little early. I’d asked Scorpius permission for this the previous evening while we talked over a firecall.  
  
“You want to come over when I’m not in the house? What in the Wizarding World for?” He asked, bemused.  
  
I considered just taking back my request and letting it go, but I remembered the promise I made to myself and Scorpius last week; no running away, no disappearing.   
  
“Because of my gift, getting used to a new place is always difficult for me. Homes, especially, hold a lot of energy.” I explained, trying to make it as easy to understand as possible, “When I enter a new space, I leave myself receptive to my surroundings so that I can take in the energy and atmosphere of a place and assimilate to it. With homes it is a little harder, because of how much concentrated energy the space has collected since it was built, from past-owners, visitors and current occupants.”  
  
Scorpius’s brows furrowed in concern, “Will this give you another headache? Why didn’t you tell me all this when I took you home last week?”  
  
I shrugged helplessly, “I wanted to see where you lived. I didn’t want to draw attention to my admittedly strange habits.”  
  
“There is nothing strange about you.” Scorpius said it so immediately, so vehemently, that I got the sense that he had been saying it to a lot of people over the last few weeks.  
  
I gave him a sad smile, “Strange, by definition is something out of the ordinary, Scorpius. Needing to spend a few hours at your boyfriend’s place so you can get used to his flat is not normal.”  
  
Scorpius seemed to forget what we were talking about in that moment, his face brightening, “You called me your boyfriend.”  
  
I turned red, not realising the slip until he’d pointed it out, “Is that okay?”  
  
“Of course it’s okay, Albus. I’m going to be meeting your parents tomorrow. I think the least you could do is call me your boyfriend.” He said, grinning widely.  
  
I made myself comfortable on the sofa in the living room now, and took my time getting used to the energy in the flat. It had a fairly mellow history. Located in Diagon Alley, barely a stone’s throw from the Ministry of Magic, the building had escaped too much damage during both Wizarding Wars. None of the previous owners had died violently, at least not within the vicinity of the flat, and all of them had lived fairly comfortable lives within these four walls.   
  
As I desensitised myself to the atmosphere of the flat, I became aware of the main aura signatures around the house. The strongest, of course, was Scorpius’s calm grey aura, permeating through everything to wrap around me like a warm blanket. The second strongest was an aura I recognised, but was not too thrilled with — Lorcan Scamander. Of course he spent a lot of time at the flat, that had been evident the last time I’d seen him. He was Scorpius’s best friend. I repeated that fact in my head as I got used to the evidence of his presence within this home. The other signatures were weaker, a steel blue and a vibrant green that could have been Scorpius’s parents. Aside from these three people, it didn’t seem like Scorpius had really entertained much company in this flat.  
  
It was close to seven by the time I was done. I picked up my bag and made my way to Scorpius’s room, tossing it onto the bed and heading into the bathroom. I could feel the difference the time spent in the living room had made. I felt comfortable in this flat now, I felt…at home.   
  
I was dressing after a quick shower when I heard the telltale crack of apparition. I groaned inwardly when I realised who it was though.  
  
Lorcan burst into the room without knocking, which at this point I expected, leading to him walking in on me half-naked, reaching for the dark green shirt I was planning on wearing that night.   
  
“What the hell?! What are you doing here?!” He had the audacity to sound enraged, “Where’s Scorpius?”  
  
I gave him an exasperated look before slipping on the shirt, using non-verbal magic to quickly button-up. “I should be asking you that. Do you make a habit of just barging into other people’s rooms without knocking?”  
  
“This is my best friend’s flat, Potter. I will walk into whatever room I want to, in whatever manner I choose to.” Lorcan snapped, following me out of the room and slamming the door shut behind him, as if that would keep me from going back. “What the fuck are you doing here?”  
  
I poured myself a glass of water and took a sip, leaning back against the kitchen counter, “I’m pretty sure your logic is flawed. Even best friends have boundaries.” I smirked slightly, “If you insist on keeping your habits, that’s up to you. Don’t say I didn’t warn you when, one day, you walk in on something you don’t want to see.”  
  
Lorcan glared at me, intense dislike evident in his brown gaze, “Enjoy this while it lasts. Scor might be interested in you right now, but no one ever sticks around. No one but me.”  
   
I raised a brow in interest at his words, “Do I have you to thank, then? For making sure Scorpius didn’t settle.”  
  
“Are you suggesting that he would be settling if he was with anyone but you?” Lorcan scoffed, rolling his eyes, “Never took you for an egotist, Potter.”  
  
“I’m not. I just know he belongs with me.” I said truthfully, taking another drink of water.  
  
“You’ve done something to him, haven’t you? Used some kind of spell or maybe a love potion?” Lorcan eyed me suspiciously, “Whatever it is, I will figure it out, and—”  
  
“Lorcan!” Scorpius’s furious voice made us both start. I’d been so caught up in watching Scamander and his aura to judge his state of mind that I’d completely missed Scorpius’s arrival. “What the hell are you doing here?”  
  
Scamander turned to face my boyfriend, sheepish and apologetic, “You hadn’t answered my letters all week. I just wanted to come by and see you.” He shot me a look of complete distrust then, “I found him in your room! Merlin knows how long he’d even been in here before I came! I told you he’s off his rocker, Scor!”  
  
I winced as I heard Scorpius’s fist make contact with Lorcan’s face, sending him staggering back a few steps. “I’ve told you not to fucking talk about him like that.” He said, his voice dangerously soft, “Albus was here with my permission, and I asked him to use my room to get ready for our dinner with his family tonight.” The words did the damage Scorpius had obviously intended, because Lorcan paled and his eyes widened in surprise and disbelief.   
  
Leaving Scamander to gather his thoughts, Scorpius crossed the room to me quickly, his eyes searching my face for any distress or hurt; I gave him a small smile as he approached. While some of Lorcan’s words had stirred up insecurities I’d been trying to lay to rest all week, Scorpius’s words from Wednesday night were still fresh in my mind. He’d said he had never felt like this about anyone, and that included Lorcan. For all that the Scamander seemed desperate to be more than just a best friend, Scorpius had made it more than clear to me that Lorcan was nothing but a best friend.  
  
“Are you okay?” He asked once he had reached me, his voice pitched low so only I could hear him. His eyes darted over my face, down my torso and back up, as if he was expecting to find some physical injury  
  
“The thing I came early for really helped, so I’m not as overwhelmed this time. I’m really okay.” I assured him, squeezing the hands that had picked mine up in a death grip. “Your friend only just arrived. Nothing happened.”  
  
He looked like he didn’t believe me in the least, which I didn’t blame him for. I wasn’t sure how much of our conversation he’d overheard, but it was probably enough to put Scamander in his bad books for the next few weeks. I should have probably been thrilled by that, but the thought made me frown and I reached up to brush away a strand of long golden hair from Scorpius’s face. “He’s an idiot, but he loves you.” I said softly, “I will learn to co-exist with him.”  
  
“I know.” Scorpius’s lips twitched up in a brief smile before pursing, “But you aren’t the problem right now.” He turned his head to Lorcan and let out a low curse, shaking his head defeatedly. He promptly turned and curled into me for comfort.  
  
I followed his gaze to find the Scamander was gone, and I rolled my eyes at the other boy’s dramatics. Really, did he want Scorpius to never speak to him again? With the way he was behaving, it sure seemed like it.   
  
“I finished the greens.” Scorpius said, his voice muffled since his face was tucked into the crook of my neck.  
  
I managed a light chuckle, “You want your question now?”  
  
Scorpius whispered his confirmation, and I sighed, knowing what question he was going to ask. It was only natural, at this point, for it to come up.  
  
“Why do you and Lorcan dislike each other so much?”  
  
I hummed thoughtfully, “We should sit down.” I said, leading us both to the sofa I’d occupied all afternoon and sitting so Scorpius was half on top of me; his arm slung around my waist, his head resting on my chest.  
  
“There is a short and long answer to your question, but basically, the reason is you.” I admitted once we were comfortable, undoing Scorpius’s braid so I could comb my fingers through his silky hair. His aura became tinged with gold when I did, an indication of happiness. I’d noticed it making an appearance a few times on Wednesday.  
  
“How could it have been about me?” Scorpius asked, confused, “Lorcan hated your guts when we were first years. He warned me away from you when we were passing by your compartment in the train! That was before either of you even knew me.”  
  
I nodded, “It’s a bit of a long story, but it has to do with how I first presented as a wizard.” I re-told the story of my first brush with magic — of my intense, instant dislike for Lorcan, of my horrid behaviour towards him during that first playdate, of my fit of tears when my mother questioned me about it later. I told Scorpius what I’d told my mother all those years ago, and he looked astonished at the end of the tale.  
  
“You’re joking.” He breathed, sitting back on the sofa, stunned.  
  
I let out a nervous laugh, “No. I’m serious. I told my mother he would take something of mine, without even asking, without ever apologising, and when I saw you both together on the train and then during the first feast — I knew I’d been talking about you.”  
  
“That’s what you meant earlier.” Scorpius realised, his eyes widening, “You said you knew I belonged with you.”  
  
I shrugged helplessly, “I did tell you I’d been waiting since we were eleven.”  
  
Scorpius looked pained for a moment before he closed the distance between us and cradled my face in his hands as if I were precious, kissing me desperately. I felt his anxiousness, his shame, his confusion and his regret. I pulled back from the kiss and pressed a kiss to Scorpius’s forehead, “Stop.” I whispered against his skin, “You can’t regret the course your life has taken, just as I can’t regret the course mine has taken. Yes, there was pain and hurt and hopelessness at times, but at the end of it all, it brought me to this point. It brought me to you, to us. I can’t regret that.”  
  
Scorpius sighed, and leaned into my embrace, letting me hold him close as I continued to press light kisses to the top of his head and against his hair. “We’re going to be late.”  
  
“This is more important.” I said firmly.


	7. POW

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my awesome readers told me I didn't need to apologise for delays in getting chapters up, so I'm going to try to stop. Thank you all for sticking with the story and enjoying my interpretation of Albus and Scorpius and their story :)

We were only a half hour late for dinner, and I shot my family a look of warning that had them biting back any comments they’d been about to make about our tardiness, teasing or otherwise. Instead Mum came forward to hug me close and turned to a nervous Scorpius with a warm smile, “You must be Scorpius, hello! I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. I’m Ginny Potter.”  
  
Scorpius seemed to relax a little, and I reached out to draw soothing circles on his back, “It’s nice to finally meet you, Ginny.” He looked beyond my mother to James, his fiancée and Lily, “Harry talks about all of you at work.”  
  
“Dad!” Lily huffed, rolling her eyes, “What the hell are you telling people?”  
  
“What?!” Dad held his hands up in surrender, “I spend over forty hours a week with my team. It’s only natural to share things about your personal lives! How do you think I knew these two were seeing each other?” He asked, gesturing between Scorpius and me.  
  
Scorpius turned red when I looked to him questioningly; I hadn’t thought to ask him how my father managed to get that information out of him. “I might have mentioned my visits to Hogwarts to Adam.” He admitted sheepishly. Adam Jordan was Scorpius’s partner at work, and my parents’ friend’s son. He’d gone to Hogwarts with us, though he’d been in James’s year; and while he was friendly and loyal, he was also known to be a bit of a blabbermouth.  
  
I chuckled, “Anyway, you know James and Lily.” I walked him over to Kaitlyn, “This lovely woman is my brother’s eternal victim. Kate, this is Scorpius, my boyfriend.”  
  
While James protested my words, Scorpius shook Kate’s hand, the two of them exchanging smiles. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you, Scorpius.”  
  
“Finally?” Scorpius repeated, a wide grin took over his face as he turned to me, “Have you been talking about me to your family?”  
  
“Stop fishing.” I said, making a face at him even as I slipped my hand into his grip, our fingers locking together.  
  
“You and Albus have been the main topic of the Weasley newsletter for the last two weeks.” Kate said, and really I ought to have remembered that any girl who voluntarily wished to spend her life with my brother had to be at least as bad as him.  
  
I groaned, covering my eyes with one hand, “I was hoping to avoid any mention of the Weasley newsletter until at least a few more months into our relationship.”  
  
“Well, as a fellow POW, I have to make sure Scorpius knows exactly what he was getting into.” Kate said cheekily, and everyone laughed as we made our way to the dining room, taking our seats around the table.  
  
POW was a term that was initially coined by my parents’ generation — it referred to Partners of Weasleys. My dad, Aunt Hermione, Aunt Fleur and Aunt Angelina had come up with it during a particularly drunken night when only half of them had been married into the family, and it had stuck. Now, with over ten Weasleys (Potters were considered honorary Weasleys) in our generation, POW was stronger than ever.  
  
Teddy (now married to Victoire), Felix (Molly’s husband) and Denise (Fred’s fiancée) had been the first POW of our generation, and they’d started a tradition of POW Nights, where they would go out and no Weasleys were invited. Dad, Aunt Hermione, Aunt Fleur and Aunt Angelina had a standing invitation to join in when they wanted to (Uncle Percy’s wife still wasn’t quite used to the Weasley family, and Uncle Charlie was ever the bachelor).  
  
“Ginny, the food looks amazing.” Scorpius managed, receiving a bright smile from my mother.  
  
“Thank you, Scorpius, but I’m afraid the credit goes to Harry. He’s the cook in the family.” Mum said, giving my father a warm, affectionate look.  
  
My Slytherin looked a bit astonished as he looked at my father as if in a new light, “Harry Potter cooks?”  
  
“Harry Potter takes a shit too.” Lily quipped, from where she sat opposite Scorpius, earning a kick under the table from me, “Ow! Merlin, Al! I was just stating the truth.”  
  
“Ignore my daughter’s vulgar language.” Dad told Scorpius dryly, “She makes a fair point though. I’m just an ordinary man, Scorpius.”  
  
“Sorry!” Scorpius apologised, abashed, “Of course you are. It’s just I’ve worked with you for more than seven years now and I can’t imagine you, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, being domestic.”  
  
“You’ll get used to it as you spend more time with the family.” James offered with a reassuring smile, “Aunt Hermione still tells Hugo off for not combing his hair properly, and Uncle George can still get grounded in the Burrow by Grandma.”  
  
“You’re talking about George Weasley, the owner of Weasley Wizarding Wheezes. You’re also related to Percy Weasley, the editor-in-chief at Veritas.” Scorpius realised, looking thoughtfully down at his food, “I never realised just how many members of your family are prominent witches and wizards in society. I think I understand the need for a family newsletter now.”  
  
Mum laughed, “Yes. Once the kids came it was difficult to meet up every week at my parents’ place. The weekly newsletter is a compromise — my brother Percy and his daughters are in charge of getting it printed and mailed out since they’re the ones with the printing press, but each family is supposed to send in a write-up with news.” She gave me an indulging look, “Everyone has been waiting to see Al in a relationship for years, so of course they’re still talking about it.”  
  
I reached out and squeezed Scorpius’s hand under the table, not wanting to even allow his mind to wander to melancholy thoughts of having made me wait. “I’m surprised you haven’t asked what a POW is yet.” I said, taking a bite of the roast chicken on my plate.  
  
“I’ll admit, I was afraid to ask.” Scorpius said dryly, squeezing back.  
  
Kate grinned, “Oh, it’s kind of like a club.”  
  
“A club.” Scorpius repeated, grey eyes wide, “A club for who, exactly?”  
  
“For POW — Partners of Weasleys! We get together every few months for drinks and to generally bitch about the family we’ve been pulled into.” Kate explained with a straight face. “All the red-heads can make your eyes hurt.”  
  
Scorpius looked alarmed, his eyes darting between my parents (who were biting back grins), Kate and myself, “Um, I-I don’t think I’ll need to join in.”  
  
“She’s pulling your leg, love. No one bitches about anything. It’s just an excuse for them to get together and try to drink each other under the table.” I reassured my boyfriend, taking pity on him.  
  
“Oh.” Scorpius blinked, “That does sound like fun. I don’t think I’ve ever been part of a club before.”  
  
“Not even in Hogwarts?” Lily asked, scandalised, “There were so many great ones though! I loved Duelling Club!”  
  
“I was partial to the Wizarding Chess Club myself.” James said, looking to Scorpius questioningly.  
  
Scorpius shrugged, “I didn’t really have any friends other than Lorcan for the longest time, and he didn’t like giving up free time to go sit in more classrooms.” He looked to me curiously, “Were you a part of any clubs?”  
  
“Care of Magical Creatures. I really enjoyed helping take care of the animals at Hogwarts. Besides, it was a great way to spend time with Hagrid.”  
  
“Oh!” Scorpius exclaimed, grey eyes bright, “Is that why all the nifflers were following you around during class in fifth year? Because you helped take care of them?”  
  
“Why do you even know about that?” I asked, incredulous, “We had Care of Magical Creatures with Ravenclaw that year!”  
  
“Oh! I think I know what he’s talking about!” James said, chuckling, “A fifth year was surrounded by nifflers during class and since the little buggers wouldn’t leave the kid alone, Hagrid had to cancel class to figure out what was going on. I didn’t know that kid was you, Al!”  
  
I shot Scorpius a narrow-eyed glare and he had the decency to look sheepish, “Oops?” He said innocently.  
  
I rolled my eyes, “That incident had nothing to do with me being part of a club.” I blushed a little at what I was about to reveal, “It just so happened that the day we were being taught about nifflers, I was wearing underwear that was embroidered with gold thread.”  
  
Mum’s eyes widened, “The little green ones with the snitches on them!”  
  
“Mum!” I groaned, as everyone laughed.  
  
Scorpius leaned in to press a kiss to my burning cheek, “You’ll have to show them to me sometime.”  
  
Unable to help myself, I let out a thoughtful hum before saying in an equally low voice. “I don’t know. They’d be a tight fit now.”  
  
The way Scorpius choked on his bite of food, and sputtered through the conversation for the next ten minutes was the highlight of my evening.

* * *

We started winding down a few hours later. It had been a great night all around — Mum and Dad clearly adored Scorpius, and James and Lily seemed to like him as well. Kate and Scorpius had spent a good portion of the second-half of the evening sitting together and chatting, while Dad, Mum, James, Lily and I caught up on each other’s lives. I didn’t ask him what they’d talked about, but he looked red-cheeked and happy at the end of the evening, and that was all that really mattered.  
  
“We had your room made up, Al. We weren’t sure if Scorpius would be comfortable staying or not, but we could put together a guest room for him?” Mum broached quietly as Scorpius stood to get his coat.  
  
“Actually, I think both of us might head back to his flat. I left my bag there, and he won’t be comfortable staying just yet.” I said, giving Mum a sheepish smile.  
  
She chuckled knowingly and nodded, “Okay then. I expect more letters between now and the next time I see you!”  
  
I hugged her, “Of course, Mum. More letters.” I went around saying goodnight to Dad, James, Kate and Lily; both my siblings and Kate would be spending the night at the Potter residence and would leave after breakfast tomorrow. I would have done the same, if Scorpius hadn’t asked me if I would like to spend the night at his.  
  
“Ready to go?”  
  
I stepped into the fireplace with him and we were soon stepping out into his living room. “A fireplace in every flat is one of the advantages of living in a building made for wizards, I suppose.” I said, dusting the suit off my clothes with a nervous chuckle.  
  
Scorpius stepped up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist, leaning in to nuzzle my cheek. “I’m not expecting anything tonight.” He told me, his voice warm with affection, “I just want to hold you.”  
  
I felt relief course through me at his words and turned to kiss him full on the mouth, “You’re wonderful.” I said, before wrapping my arms around his neck to kiss him more thoroughly.  
  
He hummed happily into the kiss, making me let out a yelp of surprise as his hands cupped my ass and moved lower to grip my thighs in order to lift me up against his body. My legs locked around his waist out of reflex, and my hands tightened around his neck. “Scorpius!”  
  
He laughed, easily carrying my weight as he walked through the house to his room, “You’re cute when you get all flustered.”  
  
I looked down at him, trying to keep a stern face and failing miserably, “Shut up.” I laughed, leaning down to kiss him lightly, “Scorpius is a long name.”  
  
He tipped me back onto his bed before crawling to hover over me, grey eyes on my face, “What are you getting at, Albus?”  
  
“How do you feel about nicknames?” I asked, reaching up to brush golden hair back from that gorgeous face. Sometimes, I still couldn’t believe this beautiful man was mine.  
  
“I’ve been called ‘Scor’ before, but something tells me you would not be fond of that nickname.” He said wryly.  
  
I grimaced, “No, definitely not that.” I gazed up at him, golden hair loose now, his bright smile lighting up my world, and I smiled. “How about…Sol? My sun.”  
  
“I’m named after stars and you’re calling me the sun?” Scorpius teased, but he looked flattered. “I love it, though it’s more a pet name than a nickname.” He murmured, bending down to rain light kisses on my upturned face, making me giggle. “Do I get to give you a pet name as well?”  
  
I shrugged, “If you’d like. Everyone just calls me ‘Al’ at home.”  
  
Scorpius looked down at me thoughtfully for several minutes before he bent down to bury his face against my neck.  
  
“ _Amans_.” He whispered against my skin, and my breath hitched. Lover.  
  
Before I could dwell on the term and what it could mean too much, Scorpius’s lips captured mine.  
  
I parted my lips for him, a happy whine leaving me as Scorpius’s body slowly sank to slot against my own. The solid weight of him pressing into me was better than any fantasy I had thus far come up with.  
  
The kisses slowly got less intense, until Scorpius was pulling himself off me and moving to lie at my side, one of his arms keeping me pressed against him possessively. He let out a shaky breath as he bent to nuzzle the skin at the back of my ear, pressing a few kisses there, making me laugh and turn to face him. He smiled, kissing me once more, “A few more minutes of what we were doing and I wouldn’t have been able to keep my promise to you.”  
  
I reached up to caress his face, “I might not have minded.”  
  
Scorpius caught my hand and pressed a kiss to the centre of it, “How about we wait until you desperately want it?” He said, smirking.  
  
I chuckled, “Someone is confident in his seduction skills.”  
  
“Nothing of that sort.” He dismissed, “I’m confident in your feelings for me.”  
  
I felt my expression soften as I gazed up at him, and finally sighed, leaning in to rest my forehead against his. “Good night, Sol.”  
  
“Good night, _amans_.” Scorpius murmured back, his arms pulling me close. It had been a long day, and an even longer night, so we both drifted off to sleep within minutes.


End file.
